Maintaining Perfection: Sequel to Perfect
by shannygoat
Summary: An injury, infidelity, and infertility threaten to break people who have promised that nothing would ever come between them. Dave Batista OC, Jeff Hardy OC, John Cena, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and others.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Maintaining Perfection

Rating: NC-17. Strong language, strong sexual content, adult themes, violence. This story is not intended for minors.

Summary: Sequel to Perfect: Dave, Jeff, Britain and Chase return to deal with the changes in their relationships. An injury, infidelity, and infertility threaten to break people who have promised that nothing would ever come between them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the original characters. The other characters are property of WWE and TNA respectively, to which I do not condone or receive any permission or endorsement from using their stage personas. The scenarios and this story is not meant as any disrespect; actually, it's a flattery. So thank you for not suing.

Prologue

Britain Weis-Batista sat nervously looking at all of the people in the waiting room. She felt herself sigh as her eyes settled on the woman sitting across from her. The uncomfortable way she shifted in her chair made Britain feel sorry for her. No matter what she tried, the woman just couldn't seem to find a position that would take the strain from her round belly away. The woman looked up and forced an uncomfortable smile at Britain.

"This your first baby?" The woman asked.

Britain shook her head nervously. "No. I'm not pregnant."

The woman sat back in her chair and sighed. She took in Britain's face, then noticed the rather large rock on her left hand. "Are you trying?"

Britain smiled shyly and nodded.

"Just give it time. My husband and I tried for 3 years and when we finally gave up…" She pointed at her belly. "We're so excited. In 3 more weeks, I'm going to be a mom."

Britain couldn't help but to feel a little sorry for the woman; she was huge. _Thank God that's not me_. Although the idea of a baby was cool, the prospect of being pregnant was less than desirable; but they had made the choice a little over a year ago, before the wedding. She and her husband were going to have a baby. And although it would mean giving up her career as fashion model, it was worth it. She loved him and she wanted to have a baby with him. Even though he had three girls already, which she loved dearly, it didn't matter. They weren't her girls and she knew it because their mother constantly reminded her of that fact. No, _they_ were going to have a child of their own and it was going to be perfect.

"What's it like?" Britain heard herself ask.

The woman sighed, "Well, if you don't mind sleeping on one side, being kicked all hours of the night, feeling like you've swallowed a medicine ball and not being able to see your feet…it's great." She placed her hand on her stomach. "Do you want to feel this?"

Britain put down her magazine and walked across the room. She placed her hand on her stomach and smiled. "That's so cool."

"Amazing, isn't it?" A deep voice said taking Britain away from the sensation under her hand.

She didn't turn around, but she knew it was him. Her husband, Dave Batista, finally made it to the appointment. "You're late."

When she did turn to him, he was smiling. She couldn't help but to notice just how cute he looked in black jeans and a button down shirt that exposed the top of his massive chest. His incredibly groomed appearance made him look like he just stopped off of the cover of GQ magazine. "I had to drop Alli off at Lacrosse practice. Have you been waiting long?" He smiled walking toward to her and his deep brown eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief.

She instantly melted into his embrace. "About 15 minutes. I just wish they'd call me already. I have to pee."

They took their seats and Britain noticed the woman smiling at them. "You two will have a beautiful baby." The lady said, admiring just how attractive the couple in front of her was. "Have you been together long?"

Dave smiled at her and squeezed Britain's hand. "Almost 5 years, but we've only been married for two and half months."

"Britain?" The nurse called. They both stood and Britain smiled at the woman before heading back.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Peeing in a cup was always something that Britain had a problem doing. It was almost as bad as sitting in that cold room wearing only a paper gown. She looked around the room as the let her feet hit the side of the table, swinging her legs nervously.

Dave stood and put his hands on her thighs. "Nervous?"

"No. Just cold."

He removed his hands and wrapped his arms around her. "Liar." He whispered. "It'll be fine." And though his words were genuine, he couldn't help but to notice that her beautiful eyes, normally pale blue-grey in color were more blue than anything. Normally that meant that she was angry, but they also changed when she was nervous.

She was interrupted by Dave's warm words by the creaking of the door. Greeting them with a smile was Britain's friend for many years, Dr. Monique Allen. "Hey you." Dr. Allen said she watched them. "It's been awhile since I've seen you." She walked over to Britain and gave her a hug, followed by a gentle hug to Dave. "I'm sorry that I missed the wedding, but I know you were beautiful."

Dave smiled at Britain remembering how beautiful she looked. "She most certainly was."

"Was?" Britain said playfully slapping Dave's hand.

Knowing how the two could tease each other non-stop, Dr. Allen cut to the chase. "So…what's going on?"

Britain let out a sigh and spoke quickly. If she could just get it out in one breath, maybe the fear that she felt wouldn't be as noticeable to Monique or Dave. After all, she'd done a pretty good job of hiding her fears from Dave this long. "Well... I'm not pregnant yet. I know you said that we should wait at least six months after I stopped the Depo shots. But it's been over a year since we've used any birth control and nothing…"

Dave sat back and watched how comfortable Britain talked to her doctor about their sex life. But he couldn't help but to notice how Britain worried the ends of her hair as she spoke. She was nervous and he knew it and though he could understand her frustration, he wished that she would have talked to him about it.

"Are you trying?" Dr. Allen asked writing on Britain's chart; instantly switching from friend mode back in the professional OB/GYN that she was.

Britain looked over at Dave and smiled. With a nod she spoke, "A lot. We have sex all the time. Like, all...the...time."

Dr. Allen's eyes were as big as her smile and Dave found himself slightly embarrassed by her reaction. It was one thing for her to know about their sex life as Britain's doctor; but as her friend, someone who had been to their house for dinner…it was a little uncomfortable. "We're newlyweds." He defended with a smile, slightly cocking his head to the side to hide how uncomfortable he was.

After a brief exam, Dr. Allen spoke to them both. "Well, you look healthy to me, but I'm going to order a inter-vaginal sonogram just to be safe. I don't see a problem, but I just want to make sure."

Britain gave a weak smile to Dave. She was given a clean bill of health, but that was until she had the sonogram…Lord knows what that would reveal.

Her friend and doctor touched Britain's leg and gave it a reassuring pat. "For now, just relax and let nature take its course. Be patient…and stop trying so hard." She said with a wink.

"Oh…we're not all over each other because of that. It's just…well look at him; he's fucking hot." Britain said seriously causing her friend to laugh and Dave to turn his head to hide both his blush and a huge smile.

"Make an appointment for the sonogram this week and I'll see you again in two. And I'll see you both at Christina's exhibit." Dr. Monique Allen turned to leave after patting her on the arm, "Don't start freaking out yet. Just enjoy your new husband."

Britain nodded and Dave gathered her clothes. With a slight pout on his face, trying to read her expression, he kissed her softly. "See…I told you, _we're_ fine."

No matter how much she wanted to believe him, Britain still couldn't help but to worry.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chase Batista walked across the room and opened the French doors to the balcony. "Oh my God…look at this view." She turned and looked over at her boyfriend, Jeff Hardy, who was laid back on the bed grinning at her.

"I'd rather look at the view in front of me." He smiled coyly.

Chase shook her head. He would never change. It didn't matter that they had been together for a little over eighteen months, or that they lived together now despite her father's uneasiness about it; he still looked at her like he was teenage boy that had just discovered sex. "Jeff...I'm serious. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" She turned back to the scene in front of her. From the balcony they had the most beautiful view of the snow covered Swiss Alps. "Austria is so beautiful." She breathed in the fresh crisp air. Although, Jeff's house in Cameron, was in a rural area and was scenic in its own right, it was nothing compared to what was in front of her.

Jeff walked over toward her. "You're beautiful." He searched her beautiful dark blue eyes with his bright green ones. He would never be able to tell her just how beautiful she was to him.

"Only you would be trying to get me in bed when I'm standing face to face with the most breathtaking thing I've ever seen. This place is gorgeous and we have a lot to explore."

Jeff signed and placed his arms around her. "Chase, think about it. We can make love with this as our backdrop. And if we're real lucky, maybe we'll hear some yodelers eggin' us on…and then Maria will start singin', The Hills Are Alive, just as we're 'bout to cum." He wiggled his eyebrows before leaning down to kiss her neck.

His smile forced her to roll her eyes. "Britain's aunt and grandmother, didn't allow us to come here to listen to us have sex for an entire week." She said putting her hands to his face and trying like hell not to pay attention to his lips on her neck.

"Well maybe not for a whole week…but definitely for a few days."

She couldn't help but to smile at him, giving him those deep dimples that he loved so much. "We can't."

Jeff scrunched his brows and pouted. "Baby…we're in another country." Jeff was whining, Chase hated when he whined; that's how he usually got her to cave on everything. "We can pretend to speak another language; we got this view with these mountains that you like more than me…what's wrong?"

Chase sighed. She might as well come clean. How could she have been so stupid? She meant to go to the doctor because the pills were making her sick, but she didn't have time, not with classes and midterms and then this trip. For the past month, she hadn't been taking them, at all. And it really wasn't so bad, because one week she had her period and then Jeff was traveling with Raw, so it's not like he was home. She forgot. She forgot and now they were together on vacation and they couldn't have sex.

"I'm not on the Pill anymore." She said softly walking back in the room. "I just forgot to go to get a different prescription."

Jeff looked at her like she was crazy. That was it? That was the whole reason that for the entire week that they were in Europe he couldn't get any? Well, the hell with that. "I'll just get some condoms. I'm sure people here use rubbers too." Jeff started to put on his pants, he was going to find a store. If he had to hike up the Alps, he was going to find a store that sold Magnums if it killed him.

Chase sat down. "But honey, you don't like condoms."

"If that's what it takes to get you naked, then I _love_ condoms."

Chase looked at Jeff and frowned. She knew that he hated using them. He use to say that he couldn't feel anything, even though he knew it was a lie. He _could_ feel something; he could feel a whole lot. But the truth was, with her, it just felt so much better without them. He loved being inside of her bareback, mainly because he knew that she was the only man she had ever slept with. He wanted to cherish it and he needed to feel it. Her body conformed to _him_ and him alone. But it was a minor setback, one which he would still thoroughly enjoy for the week that they were there.

"Will you be careful?" She asked weighing her decision. She didn't want to ruin their vacation by having Jeff be grumpy because he was sexually frustrated, nor did she want him to venture out to a store, when really she wanted to jump on him herself.

"I'm always careful." He said with confidence. "But I want _you_ to be comfortable. I'll go find a store. Really, I don't mind."

Chase walked up to Jeff and kissed him. "It's ok, really. Just promise me that we'll be careful."

Jeff smiled and raised in hand in pledge. "Scouts honor."

The last thing he heard before her moaning his name was the gentle whisper of, "I trust you," coming from her lips.

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_A/N: As promised, here is the sequel to Perfect. If you haven't read the first story you may want to just to get a better understanding of some references that will be made. Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews the first story received. I hope that you enjoy this one as much!_

_Shanny_


	2. Growing Up

Growing up

A mess of papers covered the bed as Dave struggled to look for a place to sit. She was at it again, going over ever inch of her contract renewal with a fine toothed comb. He dared not disturb her, not when she was in the zone. He stood there, watching her. She sat Indian style, nervously chewing on the end of an ink pen. Her hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail on the top of her head, but dozens of wavy black tendrils fell around her face and tiny Guess glasses, that she should have been wearing to read the contract, were perched on top of her head. Yup, it was going to be a long night and truthfully, he wasn't up for it.

He stayed in the shower a little longer than normal. Secretly he hoped that by the time he got out, she would have put away all of the offending documents. But no, it was too much to hope for. Britain was upset about whatever she was reading and unfortunately for him, he was going to hear why.

"Can I lie down?" He asked noticing that she never looked up at him, but instead nodded her head. Carefully placing his towel in the hamper, so that he wouldn't have to hear her yell at him about that too, he turned back to the bed. She had made no attempts to move her millions of papers over so he could get in. He stood there for a minute; she never moved, instead, she grabbed a highlighter and started to trace over a passage in the text.

With a sigh, he began to collect the papers on _his_ side of the bed and arrange them in a neat pile.

"Look at this." She said leaning over his side of the bed, still preventing him from getting in. "They want to limit me to only four shows a year. Four fucking shows! Why the hell am doing shit if it's only four shows?"

He shrugged; he wasn't getting caught up in this conversation again. Every time they had it, he managed to say something wrong. "I'm sure it's not that bad. Maybe they'll be the biggest four there are." He was hopeful that his answer didn't sound stupid, but that look on her face said otherwise.

"You know what this is? This is there way of telling me I'm too old to do this anymore."

He had to tread lightly, or he was going to be sleeping in one of the girls' rooms tonight. "Since when is 30 old?"

Her mouth dropped open as if she couldn't believe what he had said. "I am not 30. I still have another month and even then I've decided that I'm going to stay 29 for the rest of my life."

Ok, so maybe reminding her of her age wasn't a good thing. She really hadn't been taking it well lately.

"That's it…my career is over. I'll be 30 and too old to do this anymore. Oh God, I'm old…"

"I'm 41, how the hell is 30 old?" He asked moving her out of the way so he could finally get in the bed. With no effort at all, he scooted her over to her side and she really didn't seem to notice.

"You _are_ old." She said dismissing him. "Besides, men grow in character, women just become hags. I'm a hag, I'm an old hag. Did you know that? How could you let this happen?"

He knew she was taking it overboard, but really what could he say? She had her mind made up; she was old; and somehow, it was _his_ fault. Without words, he gathered the rest of the papers scattered on the bed and the ones in her hands and added them to the pile on his night stand.

Finally, he could lie down. He stretched his body out and nudged her again, so he could pull up the covers. And although the conditions for sleep were optimal, he knew that as long as she was upset about her age, he would never get any. Dave turned to Britain and lovingly kissed her cheek. "Babe…you're not old." He spoke slowly and sternly, more like he did when addressing his daughters. It seemed to be effective on them, so what the hell…it may just work on her. "You're beautiful," he moved his kisses to her ear. "You're wonderful," he now kissed her neck. "You're perfect. And no matter how old you get, I will always want you." He could feel himself start to press harder against her body. It was something about those damn curves of hers. All he wanted to do was go to sleep, but no; her body had to be so warm and soft.

"Yeah…you say that shit now; but just wait. Before you know it, my boobs will start sagging."

"They already do," he said as he moved over to her throat and slowly let his leg reach across hers.

"Then my ass will get all big."

Moving down her neck with is tongue, he paused. "You might wanna hit the tread mill."

She was too busy rambling to notice his advances. She honestly didn't notice that he was now completely on top of her or that his hand was slowly trailing up her undershirt. She talked to him animatedly, drumming her fingers on his back and hitting him in the arm when another idea came to mind. "Just watch, my hair will turn grey."

"It'll match your eyes."

"And then I'll need hip replacement surgery."

"We have Dr. Meadows on speed dial."

"No wonder I can't get pregnant. My eggs are old. My fucking eggs have expired. Do you know what means?"

Dave looked up at his rambling wife and laughed. "Baby, there's nothing wrong with your eggs. And you are not old. You're young and beautiful and you have an amazing body."

She rolled her eyes and drummed his back again. "Enjoy it while you can, because pretty soon, it'll be all over."

"I'm trying to, but you won't shut up." That comment got him a swift swat to the back of the head, which made him smile. "I love you and I don't care if you were fat, with boobs that hung to your knees and you could write my name with your ass because it trailed behind you. You will always be the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Britain looked in Dave's eyes and knew that he meant every word he said. "But if your teeth fall out... well, you'd have to go."

She held his face in her hands and took in his handsome features. "I love you, you know that?"

He leaned into her and kissed her again. "Prove it."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Thump, thump, thump_. The heavy baselines filled the club so hard that John could feel his eyes batting with each thump of the music. But no matter how much his eyes blinked involuntarily, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

He watched as her blonde hair clung to her face with sweat, the way the mid-drift top clung to her body, the way her hips moved to the music. Her brown eyes were dark and haunting him and her pouty lips moved to the words of the song.

_Say my name baby_

_Loud and clear_

_Say my name now baby_

_Say it so I can hear your voice_

_All I want to do is get next to you_

_All I want to do is get next to you_

It was as if the song was written for him and she was singing what he was feeling. All he wanted to do was get next to her, on top of her…inside of her. He watched her lips move again, she was feeling that song.

_Hear my name_

_Doesn't anybody want to play?_

_Hear my name_

_Can anybody find away?_

_I_ _can find a way baby._ Somewhere in his fantasy, he noticed a tan hand reach out and touch her stomach and then a smile cross her face. He saw her eyes close as she turned around and pushed her ass into his pelvis. He could feel his jaws tighten as his friend leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"She only doing that shit to piss me off." John said as he took a bitter hit of Southern Comfort.

Randy laughed. "Why don't you just go dance with your girl?"

"Naw…she mad at me again."

Randy shook his head. He couldn't figure out the dynamics of his best friend's relationship. "So, cause she's mad, you gonna let Carlito's nappy ass dance with her? Fuck that dude." Randy regarded his friend's face and felt a little sorry for John. "What'd you do this time?"

John shrugged. "I can't figure her out. She got pissed because I asked her to move down here."

Randy almost choked on his beer. "You fucking asked her to move in with you?"

"NO! I asked her to consider moving to Florida." John corrected.

"Well I'd be pissed too." Randy could tell by John's expression that he didn't see a problem with it at all. "X lives in fucking California. You ask a girl to move to the other side of the country, but you don't ask her to move in with you…you don't see a problem with that?"

For the year that John and X had dated, their relationship had been about boundaries. John wanted Christina to be his girl, but with limitations. For example, when he was in town, she was with him…period, they weren't allowed to sleep with anyone else; but _he_ could still flirt. The conditions were fine with X, except the no sleeping with other people part. They didn't have a _commitment_ or anything and truthfully, neither of them knew if that's what they really wanted. Christina lost the love of her life and she'd be damned if that was going to happen again. So, she put up walls that John constantly tried to scale. While he on the other hand was afraid to give up his hoochies, hoes and strippers; because as much as he cared about X, he was afraid that he'd lose her.

"She wouldn't do it anyway."

"Why are you still messing with her?" Randy motioned to the waitress for another beer. "If you're shit's this unstable, maybe you should just find some new ass."

The thought turned John's stomach. "Yeah, but new ass ain't look like that. Look at her…that tight little body…" He never took his eyes off of X as he spoke. "Besides, new ass ain't gonna snuggle up to me when I go to sleep, new ass ain't gonna smile at me in the morning, new ass ain't gonna smell strawberries all the fucking time..."

Randy's laugh made John turn his gaze away from Christina. "Holy shit! John Cena's fucking in love. Where's the playa card? I'm fucking revoking that shit."

John couldn't stop his blush. "Fuck that. I ain't in love. Playas don't fall in love dude. I'm a pimp…"

"She's the fucking pimp; you're a whipped ass bitch." Randy laughed at his friend. "So did you tell her?"

How could John tell her that he was in love with her? She made it perfectly clear on several occasions that she was _not_ going to fall in love ever again. She had told him about Miklo and how he died. No, X couldn't love John, not like she loved Miklo. And he'd be damned if he would be second to a ghost. It was better for all parties involved if he and Randy kept it to themselves.

"Hey, you ready?" Christina walked up to John and plopped herself on John's lap. "I wanna leave."

And though he wanted to go, he couldn't let Randy think that he was getting soft. "Nah... I'm stay with my boy Orton for a few. Why don't you _dance_ some more." His tone was sarcastic and he meant it to be that way.

"John, I'm fucking tired, I'm ready to leave. Can you please take me to your house?" She didn't fly all the way from California to put up with his bullshit. She could've stayed home for that. This was the main reason that she would not solidify any type of relationship with him. He played too many games; always trying to look good in front of his friends.

"I'll take you." Carlito said smiling at Christina.

"Thank you, Carly." She turned around and looked at John, who by the look of it did not like that idea. "I'll see you later then." Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her purse off the table and headed out the door with Carlito.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You know he's gonna try and hit that." Randy said in disbelief. "You just let your girl get in a car with fucking Carilto and you're sitting here with me."

John shrugged and tried to act like he was unphased.

"Carlito. You know, afro, big brown eyes, Latin lover type; girls' panties come right off when he gives them that accent?"

John suddenly felt the bottom of his stomach fall as he turned to the door. It was too late, X had left with Carilto. Why the hell he allowed that to happen, he wasn't quite sure.

For once in his young life, Randy was the voice of reason. "You need to fucking grow up and tell your girl how you feel."

John looked at his friend and then back at the door. Without saying anything to Randy, he left his seat and went after Christina.

_Lyrics – Hear My Name by Armand Van Helden featuring Spalding Rockwell used without permission_


	3. Blank Canvas

Blank Canvas

_Fifteen hours in the sky; fifteen fucking hours._ Jeff for one could think of million things that he would rather been doing than sitting on an airplane for 15 hours. Even being on a direct flight from Munich to Tampa didn't make the trip any shorter. He sat in his chair, noting how content Chase was reading a magazine. He watched nervously as other people got complimentary shorties of booze, while all he had was 50 First Dates, Big Momma's House 1 & 2 and the clincher…Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Jeff was antsy, the flight over hadn't been _that_ bad. At least when they left it was after a show and he was beat; he'd slept most of that flight. But now? He had just come off of 7 days of sight seeing, touristy bus trips, hiking, a night in Venice and making love to Chase constantly. He was too relaxed, he couldn't sleep now if his life depended on it; he was trapped on this plan and it was making him crazy.

Not even the blowjob and subsequent hard, albeit rather rushed sex that followed in the small bathroom at 32,000 feet, wasn't enough to calm his nerves. No, he was trapped and it was killing him.

Jeff wound his pink tented braids around his finger and looked out of the window as his knee bobbed nervously.

Chase took his hand in hers and kissed it. "How do you do travel for a living? Are you always like this?"

"I hate bein' confined this long." Jeff said turning face Chase. "It reminds me of detox."

Feeling a twinge of uneasiness, Chase decided put away her magazine. Talking about his past and addictions still made her extremely uncomfortable, but on those really bad days, talking kept him from repeating the past. "You wanna talk about it?"

Jeff shook his head. He didn't want to talk, but he wanted something. "I want a beer."

Chase made a face at Jeff. "Too bad, they got soda." She signaled to get the flight attendant's attention. "What brought this on?"

Jeff leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Well to start, I've been watchin' people drink since we got on this plane. For the past 10 hours, I watched them give out 15 bottles of whiskey, 12 scotches and 32 vodkas and I can't have any. I'm still on this fuckin' plane and I can't go nowhere. And when we land, we gotta go to this exhibit and hear your fuckin' dad tell you 100 more times that you should move back home or look for a grad school far away from me. And you know what's fucked up? I can't have a beer when we get there either." Although Jeff's feelings were raw, he never raised his voice. He was more disappointed in himself for wanting to drink than he was about not being able have one. "I just wish this would fuckin' stop. Then I start hearin' myself say, 'you weren't an alcoholic, you can have a few'." He looked at Chase and shook his head. "I know if I do, it ain't gonna be enough."

Chase cradled herself against Jeff and rested her chin on his shoulder. "You want to write your about your feelings or draw?" It sounded stupid to her, but it was one of the things he had learned in group. When Jeff needed to express his emotions, he usually turned to substances. But, lucky for him, he was artistic. It was therapeutic for him to release his pent up tension that way, too.

Jeff looked at Chase and rolled his eyes. "I don't wanna draw, I want a fuckin' drink." Instantly he regretted his tone, but he was happy that she looked unmoved by his words. "I'm sorry, Darlin'. I didn't mean that."

"My dad really makes you that uncomfortable?"

"What's he got to do with anythin'?"

Chase smiled knowingly. "The only thing we're doing different than we normally do, is visiting my parents. You're always fine until you have to see him. How do you work with him?"

Jeff shrugged. It was different at work. On Raw, Dave wasn't Chase's father, he was the Animal; just another Joe with a gimmick. But as soon as they were outside the job and Chase was around, it was a whole different ball game.

"It's just hard to know that somebody you admire and respect ain't never gonna think you're good enough."

Chase felt bad for Jeff and she kissed his cheek. "My dad does like you. It's just hard for him. You remember what we went through to be together." She turned his face to hers. "Just give him time."

Jeff sat back in his chair and closed his eyes; if nothing else, it blocked his view of the drink cart.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Blank Canvas Gallery was one of the newest hotspots in Tampa; not that there was a lot popping in Tampa to begin with. The Gallery had only been open for three months, but it proved to have an eye for fun and fresh artistic displays and A-list celebrities just boosted its popularity. The owners knew it was a stretch, but they managed to mix enough clout with culture to make the Blank Canvas the premier place and quite the lucrative business. It took every bit of Jeff's artistic eye and Britain's money, popularity outside of wrestling and her famous friends, to pull it off. But in the end, Jeff and Britain were business partners, and together they ran the coolest joint in Tampa.

John walked through the gallery looking at the photos on the wall. He was proud for under each photo was a golden tag, Xaviera Christina Perez. It was her work; _his_ girl's art that was on display and the crowd that came to see it admired her for her abilities.

"Don't look at that picture." Dave warned John, causing his friend to turn around.

John laughed. "Not really how I'm use to seeing you GQ. You look smaller with no clothes on."

Dave shook his head and looked back at the large black and white photo of him and Britain. Granted, he had the same picture on his fireplace at home, but that was different. People that visited his home understood why the two of them posed nude for it. His friends understood how in love with each other they were. But seeing it hang on the wall in a gallery, he couldn't help but to feel like it was pornographic.

That picture making it to the exhibit had stirred quite the controversy in the Batista household. But of course, Britain conveniently managed to change his mind during a night that involved baby oil and scarves tied to the headboard.

"She's good, huh?" Dave said continuing to walk with John and look at the pictures on the wall.

John smiled wide. "She's fuckin' amazing."

"I'm talking about the art, not how she is in bedroom, asshole."

John punched Dave in the arm. "I know what the fuck you meant. But…she's amazing there too."

Dave felt his fist tighten and his jaws clinch. _What the fuck? _He did a double take and looked at the picture that sat only four rows down from his. It was done in profile, unlike his, which was shot from the front. But even a profile shot couldn't hide the fact that he was looking at his daughter nude, pressed up against an equally nude Jeff Hardy, kissing him.

John instantly started to laugh. "Looks like you ain't the only exhibitionist in the family. Damn man, I ain't know she was that fine."

The look Dave shot John could have killed him instantly. "I will rip your fucking eyes out if you look at that picture again." He turned to scan the crowd. "Britain? Britain?"

Jeff stopped dead in his tracks. Dave was standing in front of his picture, with a look that scared the shit of him. "Hey Dave…John." He said quietly and looked around the room to avoid Dave's eyes.

"Hi Daddy." Chase said sweetly walking over to kiss Dave on the cheek.

"Princess? You didn't tell me you were being featured tonight." He tried to keep his voice calm, but his eyes never left Jeff's. It was one thing to know that they were still together. It was another thing to know that they lived together, but even then he could pretend that she was staying in the guest room. But it was something completely different to know that Jeff had seen his daughter naked much less touching her while she was. That could only mean one thing…he knew she wasn't still a virgin, but that didn't mean that she had sex. After all, she was a baby; she was _his _baby.

"Oh my God." Chase squealed and grabbed Jeff's hand. "Baby, look how good it turned out. I didn't think it would be done it time." She wrapped Jeff's arms around her waist as they stood looking at the photograph. "You look so good Jeff."

Dave's stomach turned as he tried to control his breathing and ignore John's laughter. "What the fuck is so funny?" He asked John, still not taking his eyes of Jeff. "Britain!" He yelled a little louder.

Christina and Britain appeared moments later. "What? I'm smooching."

Britain let her eyes travel from her husband's uneasy gaze at Jeff to the picture that stood in front of him. "Oh." She let out a nervous laugh and started to adjust his tie. "Well, I was going to tell you about that one, but it just wasn't the right time."

He tore his eyes away from Jeff and back to Britain. "The right time? No, I guess it's never a good time to tell me that my daughter is posing nude."

"What? I call it the Batista porn wall." X laughed at Dave's face. "Calm down Godzilla, it's tasteful. You should've seen some of the other ones they took…I chose the nicest one."

Britain stood in front of Dave and glared at her friend. "¿Deseas morir¡Cerrar para arriba!" _'Do you want to die? Shut up!' _Britain turned back to her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist. "She's just kidding. I think they look great…they look happy."

"But…" He started to protest, but she put her finger to his lips to silence him. The next thing he knew she was pulling on his tie, forcing him to lean down and kiss her. Damn her…damn those kisses. So maybe he had lost this battle, but the war was far from over.

"Look Dave…I didn't know that this would here." Jeff said trying to make the situation better.

"It's fine Jeff. Really, it looks great." Britain said before Dave had a chance to answer. "So…how was your trip?"

"It was good; real good." Jeff said blushing. He wasn't about to say, just how good it was. He wasn't going to tell her that he and Chase had sex in the Festung just before the museum was closing. Nor was he going to tell her about the night they spent in Venice, under the stars. No, Dave was standing right there and Jeff valued his teeth. "We had fun."

"Your Oma is so cute. She couldn't figure out Jeff's hair. She kept asking your aunt why his hair was different colors and if he wanted to be a girl because of the braids. But she won't talk to us much."

Britain shrugged. "Oma's old and stuck in her ways. She refuses to speak English, but she understands every word."

Chase blushed. "Really?" She looked at Jeff, who was sporting an equal shade of crimson on his cheeks. "Every word, huh?" It would only be a matter of time before Britain heard about some of the naughty thoughts that were expressed across the dinner table, when he, Chase and Oma were sitting there. How were they supposed to know that she understood what they were saying? "Interesting."

Dave looked at his daughter and then at Britain. "I'm going to get a drink." He said quietly before kissing his wife's head.

"So you're staying with us this weekend, right?" Britain asked Chase and Jeff.

Jeff sighed and nodded. He did NOT want to stay in Dave's house. That meant two things; one, he was going to have to sleep in one of her sister's rooms, that is if Dave would even let him come up the stairs and two, he was going to have to endure the death glares, the inquisitions and most of all, traveling back to Raw with Dave.

"Well, we could stay at mom's." Chase intervened.

"No. You're staying with us. Jeff and I have some business to go over and _we_ have some catching up to do." Britain leaned in and kissed Jeff's cheek. "I'll handle Dave. Don't worry."

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John seemed to avoid Christina for most of the night. It appeared that she had more to talk to Carlito about anyway. It was burning him up, but he wouldn't let her know that. He wanted to tell her how proud of her he was, but it would sound soft coming from him. Instead, he played the background, watching her.

"Trouble in paradise?" Dave asked sitting his drink down on the tall table next to John.

"You know X pretty well. What the fuck? I mean, one minute it's like she really digs me, the next minute, she can't fucking stand me." John was frustrated and truthfully, he knew that he was part of the problem.

Dave laughed. "Welcome to the world of Latinas. I tell you, Britain may only be a third Latin, but she's just as bad. It's that fiery temper and that equally fiery passion that sucks you in. You're up shit's creek buddy."

"What do I do? I really like that girl, but I can't figure her out." John nodded at Randy as he walked over to him and Dave.

Randy caught the tail end of the conversation, but judging by the way John was looking at X, he figured he hadn't said anything yet. "Fucking tell her you love her."

Dave looked at John and made a disgusted face. "Don't tell me, you're in love with her. Oh God, why?" He looked at the ceiling and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, X is a sweet heart... at times. But she's, um, complicated." What he really wanted to say, was X was not a one man type of woman. But he couldn't just come out and say to John that he was dating a whore. Not that X was a whore, she was just kind of loose and very casually and non-selective in the men that she 'dated'. And he would use the word dated, very, very loosely when talking about X.

"Who's complicated?" Christina asked joining the men at the table. She casually reached over and took John's drink.

"You are. What the fuck you doing to my boy?" Dave asked, ignoring the stiff nudge in his side that John gave him. "It's obvious he's in love with you, but it seems that you'd rather spend time with Carilto tonight."

"Since when does the fucking Michelin Man know anything about my relationships?" Christina asked Dave with a smile. "Look Muscles, when I want your advice, I'll tell you what to say." She turned and faced John. "And maybe, if _your _boy wasn't so busy avoiding me and acting like a dick, I wouldn't be spending so much time with Carly. But then again, I wouldn't want to cramp his style or anything." She sat John's drink back in front of him and walked away.

John put his head down. "Why the fuck did you do that? And what the fuck did that mean? She ain't cramping my style." He honestly couldn't remember ever dating a woman that confused him this much.

"Hey... I got you in the door. It's up to you what you do now." Dave said finishing off his drink and leaving his friends at the table.

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"Daddy, please?" Chase asked her father. It was already a little after one in the morning and Dave was still sitting at the kitchen table, refusing to move. He'd be damned if he was going to bed, leaving Chase and Jeff anywhere near each other.

He looked over at Chase and then into the living room, where Jeff sat on the couch staring blankly at the TV. "No."

"Dave…come on." Britain interjected. She was still hyped from how well the exhibit went and she had some energy she wanted to expel.

"No." Dave said again.

"Daddy…we always sleep together. He's gone most the time; I don't get to see him that often. It's hard enough to sleep when he's not there, but knowing he's downstairs…please?"

"No."

Britain decided that it was time to turn on the charm. "Dave this is ridiculous. The girl lives with that man. Where do you think she sleeps, on the couch?"

"No."

"Daddy, I promise we won't do anything, just sleep. Please?" She was whining and giving him the big blue eyes. She could tell she was wearing him down, but he could stubborn at times.

"No."

"Do you remember that time we were at my parent's house for my brother's gradation and my dad made you sleep downstairs? Do you remember what we did?" Britain wrapped her arms around him from behind.

He looked at his wife and his nostrils flared. Oh, he remembered. He remembered her sneaking down stairs that night and joining him on the couch and in the kitchen and in the laundry room. "Oh, hell no!" Dave stood up and walked into the living room. "You can sleep in Chase's room, but I swear to you, if I hear anything other than snoring coming out of that room..." He turned back to Chase. "Anything at all..." He couldn't say what would happen, but he was sure that it would make the front page of the morning paper.

Britain grabbed Dave's hand and starting pulling him toward the stairs. "But don't mind the sounds coming out of ours. He's a screamer."

Chase happily sat down next to Jeff. "Good night, Daddy." She watched as her father made it up the stairs before she turned to her boyfriend. "See... piece of cake."

"Well, he said we had to _sleep_ in your room. But he ain't say nothin' 'bout what we could do down here." Jeff said with a smile. Dave was going kill him anyway, why not take a chance. Besides, he was far from sleepy and there was a sweet irony to it all. Dave hated that he was with his daughter. Jeff could stick it to them both at the same time.

"You still want that drink?" Chase asked softly straddling his legs. "Because I could help get it off your mind."

Jeff hugged his girlfriend and bit his lip as she slowly started to move on his legs. "I don't want a drink. I got everythin' I want right here."


	4. Breakfast in Bed

_Disclaimer...remains unchanged._

_I would like to thank you for the wonderful reviews. I know that many of you like Perfect, I don't know if this story will live up to the first, but I'll try not to disappoint you. It's an emotional ride for all of the characters, so bare with us..._

Breakfast in Bed

"Why am I cooking breakfast for _him_?" Dave asked as he sat at the kitchen counter slicing a cantaloupe in to small squares.

It's not that he didn't like Jeff. Really, he thought that the guy wasn't half bad. Even though it had taken a long time for him to get to that point, he was actually relieved that someone loved his Princess as much as he did. But that still didn't make Jeff the ideal suitor in Dave's book.

Jeff was so much older and more experienced than Chase. He worried about her getting hurt. Being on the road 10 months a year put a strain on the most solid of relationships. At least with his own marriage, Britain could travel to be with him and vice versa. But with Chase still having two years of school left, she couldn't just up and visit whenever the mood struck her.

That was another thing that he blamed Jeff for. If Chase had stayed at UCLA, she would be graduating in the spring. Now that was shot to hell. When she transferred to Duke, they wouldn't accept all of her credits; so she had to start her sophomore year over. That not only meant that she would have another year of school, but now _he_ had to pay for it longer than he had budgeted for. Truth be told, money wasn't the real issue. He and Britain had enough money to make sure that his girls and any other children that came along would have the best educations. But with Maddy starting college in the fall and Chase having an additional year…the college tuitions were forcing him to extend his WWE contract.

He and Britain had talked about him retiring after his current contract expired. More than likely, he was going to take a job behind the scenes, probably as a talent scout. The pay was good, but not as good as a main attraction. It looked like he would have to put that on hold now.

"Excuse me? Since when are _you _cooking?" Britain asked turning her head to look at him. "I'm the one trying not to gag from the smell of eggs."

Dave popped a strawberry in his mouth. "I am cooking. Fruit salad is a dish that takes a lot of skill."

Britain smiled. "Davey, you're not cooking…you're just eating all the strawberries out of the bowl."

He looked down into the bowl and realized that she was right. What started as a multi-colored fruit salad, filled with pinks, purples, greens and bright reds, were strangely missing the reds now. With a huff, he went to the refrigerator and pulled out another pound of strawberries. "I still don't know why _we_ have to cook."

"Baby…they're tired. They came straight to the exhibit from the airport. Besides, Chase doesn't come home that often, and I thought it would be nice if we could all have breakfast together."

Dave pouted as he rinsed the strawberries. "I don't wanna have breakfast with him."

Britain walked over to him and kissed his shoulder. "Davey, she's in love. It's been long enough for you to accept that. What if she ends up marrying him?" Dave's face took on a look of horror that made Britain laugh. "You know, my dad didn't like you either."

"What do you mean, he didn't like me? I'm a great catch."

Britain laughed. "Yeah, a catch that was 11 years older than his daughter, had been married _twice_ and had _three_ kids. Not to mention that his oldest daughter was only 7 ½ years younger than me. You, my friend, were a catch that he wanted me to throw back."

Dave wrapped his arms around Britain and sighed. "But he loves me now."

"And so do I. Just like you will learn to love Jeff." She looked up at him and smiled. "Now go upstairs and wake them up for breakfast."

With a grown he rolled his eyes. "Do I have to?"

She got on her tip-toes and kissed him softly. "Yes." She kissed him again. "And be nice."

With a pout, Dave left the kitchen and stomped up the stairs.

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"Shhh." Chase struggled to say. "Do you want my dad to hear you?"

Jeff couldn't concentrate on Dave or anything else for that matter. All he could think about was how warm and soft Chase's body was. He slowly moved in and out of her, partly because it was more intense that way and partly because he didn't want her bed to squeak and Dave to hear it. What he couldn't stop however, was the soft moan that escaped his throat. "I love you, Chase." He panted in her ear, before taking her lobe in his mouth.

"I love you, too. I will always love you." She answered, wrapping her legs around his waist. They had both come too far to stop now; the climax was building in both of them. She could feel Jeff's rhythm speed up and she felt her own body tightening. It was only a matter of minutes before they both would explode into their first orgasm of the day, then drift back off into a peaceful sleep.

A knock at the door, interrupted what was definitely going to be a great start to their morning. If it were just a knock that would have been one thing, but the knock was followed by the creaking of the door and a soft voice.

"Princess?" Dave said quietly as he tried to open the door without too much noise and scaring the hell out of them. But what he saw scared him. "Oh God…oh…oh God!" He said in horror. If he could have clawed his eyes out, it still wouldn't erase the picture of Jeff on top of his daughter. If he could have ripped out his tongue, it wouldn't have stopped the thousands of curses coming from his mouth at that very moment.

Jeff buried his head on Chase's shoulder. "Shit."

"Daddy!" Chase yelled.

Dave couldn't figure out what to do. The only thing he could do was turn his back to them. If he left out the room, they might finish…if he stayed, he might have to kill Jeff. Luckily for him, Britain bolted in the room after hearing screams.

She tried not to laugh; she really did. But the look of sickness on Dave's face and the crimson on Jeff's and Chase's made it did difficult. "Oh shit. I'm so sorry." She put her arms around Dave's waist and helped him stagger out of Chase's room. "It's ok, baby."

"I'm blind. Oh God…I did what you said…I just wanted to wake her up…" Dave whined like a small traumatized child.

Britain rubbed his back and walked him back into their room. She regarded her husband as he sat on the bed, completely devastated. "Baby…what you saw, was natural. It's what people that are in love with each other do."

He looked up at her face confused. She put her finger to his lips to silence him. "It's no different than what we do."

How could she be so damn calm? Jeff was in his daughter's room, doing unspeakable things…and she was allowing it. She had her legs around his waist, not uncommon from how he took Britain, just a few short hours ago. Oh God…

To say that breakfast was uncomfortable is a gross understatement. To start, Jeff looked at his plate his entire time, while Dave couldn't take his eyes of off him. Chase's eyes darted nervously between her father and Jeff, and Britain tried to keep a straight face.

"So…what's on your agenda today?" Britain asked turning to Chase. She was determined that they would have a nice family breakfast if it killed them.

She smiled at her stepmother. "Well, Jeff and I were going to visit my mom. Then I was going to go shopping with Maddy." Chase turned to Jeff. "What are you going to do while I'm out with my sister?"

Britain put her head down and as her smile increased. "Maybe you could hang out with Dave."

Dave's head shot up and he stared at his wife in disbelief. It was already bad enough that he had to endure Jeff, but after what he had witnessed a few moments ago, there was no way in hell he would be _hanging out_ with Jeff today or ever. As his gaze grew more intense, he noticed that Britain was staring back at him. He knew what she meant. He _was_ going to smooth things out with Jeff whether he wanted to or not.

Jeff swallowed hard. "Matt's in town. I was gonna take him by the gallery. I ain't seen him in a few weeks." He still didn't lift his head from his plate. He couldn't meet Dave's eyes, no matter how hard he tried.

"Hmm…" Britain looked at Dave and narrowed her eyes. It was as if she was communicating with him telepathically. She was going to make them talk, it was that simple. "Well, we're going out tonight with John and Randy. You two should come. What's the name of the club we're going to?"

Dave sighed but stopped when Britain shot him another look. "Orgasm." Dave grumbled.

Jeff let out a chuckle. It was an irony to it all. Here his impending orgasm was stopped when Dave walked in the room, and later he would be going to Orgasm with the man. Dave's eyes left Britain's and darted over at Jeff. But Jeff couldn't stop; he was in full fledged laugh by now.

"What do you think baby? You wanna go Orgasm?" Jeff's eyes twinkled as he spoke to Chase, who was having an equally hard time keeping a straight face.

"That could be good." She looked at her dad and smiled, flashing her dimples.

Dave looked at the pair and rolled his eyes. "I'm going to the gym." He needed to burn off his anger. He used to be in charge…he was once the king of his castle. When the hell did everybody stop listening to him?

Once he was out of earshot, Chase leaned over to Britain. "Is he really pissed at us?" She looked worried. She didn't want her father mad at Jeff.

Britain shrugged. "I think he's devastated, but I don't think he's mad. It's not everyday, you see your kid getting laid." She noticed the guilty look on Chase's face and she felt pity for the girl. "Look, it is kinda disrespectful to do it in your parent's house. Now, I'm not saying that I never did it, but it's just a little crass. You could've at least waited until we were gone or something."

"I'll go talk to him." Chase offered, but was stopped when Jeff stood up.

He didn't want her to face the wrath. "No, I'll do it."

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Britain laid on the table looking at the ceiling and praying to God that she didn't pee on herself. Sonograms were always the same. They make you drink and drink and then they press on your stomach making feel like you're going to pee at any minute. Britain wasn't up for it…not today.

She _really_ didn't want to leave Dave and Jeff in the house without a referee. But before she left she hadn't heard yelling or bodies slamming on the floor. She did however notice that after about five minutes of talking, Dave came bolting down the stairs and slammed the front door. The talk hadn't gone well apparently. There was still a part of her that was afraid that Dave would be waiting for her to leave, before he walked back in the house to commence the slaughter of Jeff Hardy.

"We're almost done." The technician said as she moved the phallic looking camera around inside of her.

This was definitely the most humiliating medical procedure that she ever had. To start, there was a big TV screen attached to a computer, with a wand connected on the side. The wand contained a camera that was about 10 inches in length. It was shaped like a penis and the tech put a condom on it. As if that wasn't bad enough, she then proceeded to lube it up before handing it to Britain and tell her to insert it into herself as if it were actually a penis.

Thinking this woman had lost her mind, Britain grabbed wand and started the degrading task of putting it in. To her surprise, the tech grabbed the wand and started to move it around in her. Now, she had done all kinds of sexual things in her day; she and Dave used toys…hell, he bought her half of the ones she owned. Having him use a toy on her somehow didn't make her feel embarrassed or ashamed. Having a tech, stick a piece of medical equipment in her, well that was totally different.

"Whoa." The tech said. Whoa's not really something you want to hear when you're having a procedure done.

Britain's eyes looked at the screen, but she couldn't figure out anything on it for the life of her. "What's wrong?" She asked panicked.

The tech smiled. She really shouldn't have said anything. "Nothing. Have you ever had GYN surgery before?"

Britain thought back and closed her eyes. "Yeah."

"Hmm." The tech said as she pulled out the equipment and handed Britain a napkin. "Well, I'm all done. You can get dressed now."

"What was the whoa?" Britain couldn't believe how the woman was just leaving her hanging like that.

But the technician smiled. "Honey, I'm not a doctor. But I can tell you that I saw something on your sonogram. I don't know what it is yet. I'll get this to your doctor immediately and she can go over it with you."

Britain sat up and felt like her world was slipping from her. She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. She felt the technician's hand touch hers and she searched her eyes for an answer.

"It's nothing bad. Like I said, I don't know what it is. The good news is that I could see it, so maybe your doctor can get rid of it."

Britain nodded, but she knew it wasn't that simple. It had never been that simple, but it wasn't supposed to affect her. She hadn't thought about it in years. It was just something that she simply refused to let into her mind. But now, it was coming back to haunt her. She would have to wait three more days to hear what she already knew. Three whole days anticipating the worst. And the worst wasn't hearing that something was wrong and she couldn't have kids. The worst was having to tell Dave about her past.

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"So you saw them? Was her ass up in the air?" John asked grunting as he lifted the barbell to his chest.

Randy rolled his eyes. "Dude, that's fucking sick. That's his kid."

Dave knew he shouldn't have told them, but they wouldn't leave him alone about what was wrong with him. He never could hide when he was angry. Usually, he would get destructive and the way he was lifting, was no different. Instead of destroying a hotel room, he decided to try to destroy his body.

John sat down his weights and grabbed for a bottle of water. "So what did he say to you?" He had to admire Jeff. He had balls. There was no way in hell that he would have tried to talk to Dave if he was caught ass up with one of his girls.

Dave looked at John and huffed. "He apologized. He told me that it was disrespectful and it was his fault because he initiated it." He sat down on the bench and ran his towel across his face. "Then he gave me some shit about how in love with her he is. I mean…what did he expect me to say? 'I understand how a beautiful woman makes you lose your mind…you have nothing to worry about, you can fuck my kid in my house whenever you want?'"

It was truly a complicated situation. But, Dave could sympathize with them. It's not he and Britain hadn't done the same thing at _his_ mom's house or _her_ parent's house for that matter. But this was different. This was his Princess.

But, Dave and Chase's relationship had not been the same, since that day he found out that she and Jeff were together. They had mended fences and they were still close, but nothing like how they were before. As much as he disliked the idea of them together, he missed the bond he had with her more. He would try, although he hated it…even if were only for the trip back to Raw with him, he would try.

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Dave looked at Britain as she ordered her fifth screwdriver. She really didn't drink a lot, something was wrong. She had been unusually quiet since she came home from 'running errands' and now they were at this club and all she wanted to do was drink like a fish.

"You ok?" He asked rubbing her back as she sat at the table. She nodded but he knew she was lying. He just wished she would talk to him. He hated to constantly ask someone the same question. But here this was the fourth time in an hour that he had asked her.

She smiled at him, blinking her eyes hard. She was drunk. "Dance with me." She slurred to him.

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't dance."

"Bullshit. You dance…you don't dance that good, but you dance. Come on." She stood up and stumbled around the table.

But he shook his head. She frowned and looked at John, then Randy. Neither one of them would even dream about dancing with her. Especially Randy, he remembered what happened the last time she was drunk and wanted to dance with him. That was night that she propositioned him. Nope, he wasn't going to do that again.

"I'll dance with you." Jeff spoke up. Britain smiled and pulled Jeff out on the dance floor.

Dave leaned over to X and spoke so only she could hear him. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

X shrugged. "She's _your_ wife, you should know." She looked at his face and knew that he was clueless. "She had the sonogram today." She could tell by his expression that he had no idea. She thought Britain had told him. "Oh shit. You didn't know, did you?"

Dave sat back in his chair and watched her dance with Jeff. A thousand things ran through his mind, but he wasn't going to pay them any attention. He wanted her to talk to him, but she wouldn't. She made it seem like everything was fine and it was killing him. He walked over to Britain and Jeff and tapped Jeff's shoulder. "I need to talk to her." Dave pulled her into his arms and began to move slowly with her to the music. "You want to talk about it?"

Britain shook her head. She just wanted to feel him hold her. Just the feeling of his arms wrapped around her and the beating of his heart made her feel better.

"Please?" He whispered. "Please talk to me."

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and it broke his heart. "I just want to go home." She said sadly.

Dave took Britain back to the table and grabbed her jacket and her purse. They left without saying goodbye.

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John watched as Christina danced with Carlito, _again. _Why is it that everywhere she was, he was? What actually was going on with them, anyway? He strolled over and looked Carlito in the eye. "Why the fuck are you always around my girl?" John said with a smile, but it was something in his eye that let Carlito knows that he was not playing.

"We're just dancing, man. You guys wanted to sit at the table and drink all night…the lady wanted to dance." Carlito replied raising his head to look John in the eye. "Look, you wanna dance with her, go ahead. She's _your_ girl."

John didn't like the way that Carlito said that. It almost sounded like he was trying to mock him. He could feel his neck tighten as he tried to restrain himself from knocking Carlito on his ass. But once he walked away he looked into Christina's brown eyes. "I just wanted to dance with you." He admitted poking out his bottom lip.

"Oh, so now you're acknowledging I'm here? I should be honored." X replied with a smile. She slipped her arms around his neck, forcing him to bend down to hold her. She couldn't resist that little pout and she kissed him softly on the lips.

John was whipped. There was nothing he could do or say to deny it. She had him wrapped around her finger and it was killing him. He still couldn't place a finger on exactly what it was that they had. All he knew was that it involved heated arguments, hot, sweaty, passionate make-up sex, a few laughs, and genuine loneliness when she wasn't around. Was it love? He wasn't so quick to use that word, although he felt it. But something in him knew that if he told her exactly how he felt, it would cause one of those heated arguments that they had so often.

None of that mattered now. Right now, she was in his arms kissing him; and it was incredible. At least for tonight, she wasn't mad at him, so maybe it was going to be a good night after all.

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The drive back to their home was quiet, only the low volume of the Monster Ballads CD was playing in the car. Dave tried his best to concentrate on the road, while Britain looked out the window and worried the ends of her hair.

Dave wanted to respect her wishes not to talk about whatever was bothering her. But if it had something to do with her sonogram…he had the right to know. _They_ were trying to have a baby; she wasn't doing it by herself. When they got married, they vowed to include each other in everything; now she was shutting him out. She had never done that before. Britain never had a problem saying what was on her mind, whether he wanted to hear it or not.

He followed her up the stairs and sat on the bed, while she went to the bathroom. He refused to let the night end like this. Taking a deep breath he walked into the bathroom and saw her reflection in the mirror. She was crying.

"Baby…please tell me what's wrong." His voice was just above a whisper and the desperation in it, broke her heart. He wrapped his arms around her as she turned around into his embrace.

Letting her sob overtake her, she cried against his chest. "I don't think I can have a baby."


	5. Girls and Underwear

**Sorry about the repost, Fanfiction was acting crazy this morning.**

_Disclaimer...not disrespect is intended._

_Author's note: This chapter is kind of long, but I needed to establish somethings that will be important later in the story. I tried to make the beginning lighter and again, the ending changes the mood. I hope you don't mind. _

_Thanx for the reviews...who would have known that getting caught would be so popular! _

_Enjoy!_

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Girls and Underwear

Once a month, they would all get together at someone's house. It's not like he didn't see his friends all the time anyway, but it just always seemed more fun when _all_ of them could get together. Dave loved nothing more than to show off his grilling skills in front of his friends and especially Britain, who swore that he couldn't cook. Dave knew how to cook, but why bother when she was willing to do it for him?

Still, no matter how much he liked doing these little shindigs, he really wasn't in the mood for it now and he knew it was because of Britain. He hadn't slept the night before, mainly because he was up watching her sleep. He could tell by the way she tossed and turned that she was upset. She had clung to him as if the world was coming to an end and he still didn't know why. He asked her repeatedly, but her answer was always the same. _"I'm just being paranoid. I know how bad you want a baby and I'm just scared that I can't give you one."_

It was a crock of shit and he knew it. Britain didn't get paranoid…she was the center of reason. She took things in stride, so why was she neurotic now? And what did she mean by _he_ wanted a baby? _They _wanted a baby…_they _had discussed it at length when they got back together. It was something that _they_ both wanted.

What pissed him off more was the fact that she couldn't get a doctor's appointment until Monday morning. That would mean that he couldn't go with her, because he would be working. If she was keeping this sonogram shit from him, what else was she going to hide? And why didn't she tell him that she had the sonogram? He was home…he could have gone with her; hell, he _wanted_ to go with her. But she gave him some excuse about running errands. The many questions he had would have to wait, because right now he had to get the groceries in the house and take a nap. He couldn't be a grilling god if was this tired.

Dave let out a sigh as he opened his front door. _Shit, I don't believe this. _His nap would have to wait, because now he was greeted by the sounds of his daughters screaming at the top of their lungs. He couldn't even get the door closed or the groceries in the kitchen before he heard the word 'bitch' come from his youngest daughter's mouth. He shook his head; it was obvious Britain wasn't home. They never carried on like that when she was there. She seemed to be the only one that could control them lately. He didn't know what it was, but for some reason it appeared that _all _of his girls had lost their minds.

Not only did he have to deal with Britain suddenly becoming Secret Squirrel, he had to put up with Chase, thinking she was Jenna Jamison. And now Maddy and Alli seemed to have lost their minds too.

Madison, who was now 18, had become extremely argumentative and rebellious. Not that she wasn't rebellious before, but now it was just ridiculous. For a while it seemed the closer to turning 18 she got, the worse she became. Allin, Dave's 16 year old, was still very much an athlete. She was always the outsider when his daughters were involved. Chase and Maddy were best friends, but Alli wasn't really in to the girly stuff that they were. But it seemed the meaner Maddy got, the more Alli defended herself. And since Chase was out of the house, Maddy and Alli were constantly at each other's throats.

"No wonder you can't get a fucking boyfriend; you're a fucking man!" Maddy yelled before slamming a door.

Dave couldn't even tell where they were, but they were yelling so loudly that they might as well have been in the same room with him.

"Well... at least boys don't do it with me and go back and laugh about it, you whore!" Alli yelled back before slamming another door.

He heard a door open and then heavy footsteps followed by banging on a door. "Open this fucking door, you bitch…I'm gonna knock your fucking teeth out." A scream of frustration was heard before Maddy continued her rant. "I can't wait to get out of here! When I go away to school, I'm never coming back. You know why? Because, I hate you!"

"You're not getting into any schools, because all you ever do is sit in the back of the class and let guys feel your tits. That's why you're failing, you stupid slut!"

Dave breathed in deeply and started up the stairs.

"I wish you were never born! My life was fine before you came along!" Maddy yelled at Alli.

"ENOUGH!" Dave yelled, causing Maddy to jump away from Alli's door. "I can hear you two from the porch. What are you fighting about?" Alli's door opened and both girls started to ramble. Dave held up his hand to silence them. "Pumpkin…what's the problem?"

Maddy ran up to Dave and threw herself in his arms, crying. "She's always in my stuff, she doesn't respect my privacy. I hate her." Although she wasn't as good as Chase at the Daddy's little girl thing, she was a pretty close second.

Alli stared at her sister in disbelief. "She's such a liar. I didn't _do_ anything. She's the irresponsible one that's always leaving her shit lying around!"

Dave still didn't know what the argument was about and really he didn't care. All he knew was he was tired and he would have to rest up to deal with everyone coming over later. He walked Maddy over to Alli and hugged both of his daughters. "First of all, you both need to watch your mouths. Secondly, you girls are sisters, you love each other. Apologize and be quiet, so I can go to sleep."

Maddy rolled her eyes. "We're sisters by force, not by choice."

"I'm not apologizing." Alli retorted.

Dave huffed and headed for his room. But before he entered he had to know. "What's this about you doing _it_ with boys?" He looked directly at Maddy, who looked at the ground.

"I don't know. She's probably on steroids Daddy, they're making her crazy."

"Oh, you're such a liar. You're the biggest at freak at school. Why do you think she has so many dates, Dad? It's because she's the resident, Ms. Mattress Back." Alli said glaring at Maddy.

"Oh really? Well mom named you Allin, because she knew that you were a dyke. Your muscles are bigger than Daddy's, you genetic freak!" Maddy said to her sister.

And with that, the yelling and screaming started again. "Maddy, go to your room…Alli go to your mom's!" It wasn't the perfect solution, but it worked. At least if they weren't in the same house, they wouldn't argue.

"You always take her side." Alli said stomping down the hallway.

"I'm not taking anybody's side. I don't want to listen to this. You girls are driving us crazy. Your mom keeps sending you here, because she doesn't want you at home, Britain's always on the phone with one of you trying to talk you out of the killing the other one. I don't know what else to do you with you two. If you don't like each other, stay out of each other's way!" Dave rarely raised his voice at his daughters, but they were so far from the sweet little girls that were his only a few short years ago. He use to be able to solve their problems for them, but the older they got, the bigger their problems got. The handbook on how to raise children said nothing about how to raise adults. "It hurts me that my girls don't love each other. You girls are my life. I don't have any brothers or sisters and I always wished I did, just so I could have someone that was always there when I needed them. It's really sad that you don't you feel like that." Dave had been studying the art of persuasive arguing from Britain. She was a master. No matter how mad she made him, she would use some kind of reverse psychology and before he knew it, he was apologizing. It pissed him off, but now it came in handy.

"Daddy. I'm sorry. I do love Alli, she just pisses me off." Maddy said walking over to her father and hugging him.

"I'm sorry, too." Alli said hugging him as well. "I love Maddy, but she always yells at me."

The girls looked at each other and felt bad. "Sorry, I called you a steroid using lesbian." Maddy said to her sister.

"Well, I'm sorry I called a cum sucking hoe-bag." Alli replied.

Dave started to ask his youngest daughter, where the hell she learned that term from. But he soon changed his mind. He couldn't deal with it; not now. "Friends?" Dave asked and was glad when they nodded.

He walked in his room and smiled, finally it was quiet and he could get some sleep.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You ok?" Jeff asked as he slid photos over to Britain to look at.

She had too much on her mind to concentrate on gallery stuff today. She felt bad, because the whole getting into business with Jeff was her idea. But lately, it seemed that she had left all of the work up to him. Jeff was the one with the art knowledge, all she knew how to do was to throw a party. She really didn't know why he was including her on the next exhibit anyway. All she needed to know was when the art would get there, what day they wanted to have the opening and who she should invite.

Britain gave Jeff a weak smile and looked at the pictures in front of her. "I'm great. These are interesting…are they any good?"

Jeff laughed. "Of course they're good. You don't see the seamless brush strokes Mateo uses? The guy's a fuckin' genius."

Britain looked at Jeff like he was crazy. She didn't know the difference between Rembrandt and Jacques Louis David; all she knew is if they used bright colors and the pictures looked like what they were supposed to be creating. "Well, what is it?" She turned the photos upside down to try to figure it out.

"Modern art…it's a representation of the artist's mood."

She raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips. "Well, why doesn't it look like it? If they're supposed to be painting trees, why not just paint trees? Why the hell do I have to guess if there are trees in this?"

Jeff shrugged and got out of his chair. "Maybe we should do this later. You seem preoccupied." He didn't know what was wrong with her and he wasn't trying to guess. He had enough to worry about with making it another two days with Dave around. "Hey, can I show you somethin'?"

Britain propped her head on her hands and looked over at Jeff. She had to snap out of it…everything depended on her being able to pretend that nothing was wrong. It had been so easy before. "Sure."

Jeff had been hesitant to show her, but she was his friend. Besides, he needed someone besides Shannon to talk to. He knew damn well he couldn't talk to Dave about it. There really wouldn't be a conversation, probably a lot of yelling and broken bones, but no conversation. Matt would have a thousand reasons why not and Shane…well right now his head was too far up his own ass to listen. Britain was his only ally.

Jeff reached in his pocket and pulled out a box and slid it over to Britain. "Oh my God. Jeff…this is beautiful."

"I been carrying it around for a few weeks. I was gonna ask her when we went away, but I ain't have the nerve. I kinda wanted to do it right, ask Dave's permission, you know. After yesterday, I know ain't no way in hell he's gonna say yeah now." Jeff let out a frustrated sigh as he ran his fingers through his pink hair.

"Do you love her?" Britain asked handing the box back to Jeff.

He smiled. How could she even question that? Chase may have been young and inexperienced to a lot of things that he shouldn't know about himself, but she was everything to him. "She's the first person that was able to see past all the shit I fucked up before. She makes everyday worth livin' for me."

Britain shrugged. "Well then, that's your answer. You know Dave's gonna have a fit, but if you love her that's all you need to worry about."

Jeff sat down next to Britain and studied her face. "How can I get him to like me? I mean, I guess he likes me more now than he did before; but, how can I get him to _like _me? I've done everythin' I know how…I been clean for the longest time, I take real good care of Chase, I make sure she studies, I keep her happy…what else do I have to do?"

Dave had been the center of many an argument between Jeff and Chase. It seemed like whenever they argued it was because Dave had just called or Jeff had made some off the cuff comment about him. He was still running their relationship even though he was four states away and Chase was such a Daddy's girl that she didn't even realize it.

It would piss Jeff off to no end that Chase would always run to Dave first. If she needed money for books, who did she call? Daddy. If she wanted to know what to take for a cold, who did she call? Daddy. If her car was acting up or if she couldn't decide if it was cold enough to turn on the heat, who did she call? Daddy, Daddy, Daddy. Just for once, Jeff wanted to be the first one she came to if she needed something. In his mind, that's why Dave didn't like him…he probably thought that Jeff couldn't provide for her.

Britain touched Jeff's arm. "You can't make him like you…he has to do it in his own time. You have to understand the way that fathers and daughters work. It's like this bond, kinda like mothers and sons…"

Jeff closed his eyes. "I don't remember my mom too much. I remember she smelled nice and she would sing to me."

"You know how you feel when you think about your mom? Like everything in the world is perfect…well that's how it is with fathers and their little girls. Take it from me; I'm the biggest Daddy's girl in the world. It's hard not to run to your Daddy when you need something. Especially when they've spent their whole life making sure everything was safe for you. To give that trust over to another man…that takes some time. And from Dave's point of view, no one…not you or anybody else, will _ever_ be able to do a better job at taking care of his daughter than he can." Suddenly a big smile crossed Britain's face. "But no matter how much he tries to show you up, you can't let him stop you from loving her. You're a good man and she loves you. If this is what you really want to do, do it. Dave'll adjust. Just don't expect him to throw you a bachelor party or anything."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The grill was heated, the steaks were cooking nicely, the table had been set, music was filling the backyard and slowly but surely the guests were starting to arrive. As much as Dave knew that he needed to keep the peace, he couldn't, not when there were $80 worth of steaks slowly simmering. He watched his wife sit in one end of the yard playing with Aurora and Hunter on the other, daring not to get too close to her.

"Dude, you look like a fucking giant fairy with that apron on." Randy said lifting the top off the grill.

Dave looked at his friend suspiciously and slapped his hand with the tongs. Everyone knew better than to check the grill when Chef Boyrtista was at the helm. Randy was living dangerously but in all fairness he only came over to bother Dave so that he could escape Maddy. She was legal, a little too legal for his liking. Still, hand hurting and hungry, Randy found himself watching her out the corner of his eye.

Maddy had grown up, that's a fact. She was still little, about 5'3" in height, but she had long brown hair that trailed half way down her back. And unlike Chase, whose dimples made her look like a little girl, Maddy's made her look like trouble. She had this smile that was sly; it was the type of smile that said, _I'm really a bad girl._ She wasn't all "athletic" like Alli, but damn…she had this figure that said, _I'm all woman_. And to top it off, Maddy was crazy about Randy. He knew this because she would tell him, every chance she got.

"_So, Randy…I was thinking that when my Dad and Britain go away for her birthday, that maybe you could check in on me while I'm here…all by myself." Maddy said softly running her fingers over his hand._

That's when Randy decided to go see how Dave was doing at the grill. What was he supposed to say to that? He had known her since she was a kid, but that look in her eyes said she wasn't a kid anymore. No, he needed a beer, he needed to talk to Dave, and he needed to get the hell away from Madison Evelyn Batista.

Dave's attention from Britain was thrown off for a second. He watched as Jeff threw the softball back and forth with Alli. "Is he wearing a fucking thong?" He brought his brows together and looked at Randy.

Randy peered over Dave's arm to see Jeff, shirtless, wearing white shorts, with no belt. His pants were starting to hang a little, revealing a very bright yellow undergarment of some type that closely resembled a thong.

"Nah…maybe it's a jock strap." Randy rationalized, reaching over to grab a beer.

Dave turned to Randy, then back to Jeff. "That's a fucking thong."

"What up?" John said making his way to his friends at the grill, followed closely by Hunter. "What the fuck y'all looking at?"

Randy pointed around his beer. "Hardy." He took a sip and continued to watch as Jeff leaned down to pick up the ball. "Dave thinks he's wearing a thong."

John turned to look too. "Motherfucker…that is a thong." He turned to Dave. "Why the fuck is he wearing a thong?"

"He's a freak." Dave said in disgust.

Randy nodded. Sure Jeff was freak, but he was cool, everyone except Dave and Hunter liked him. "He's an artist."

Dave crossed his thick arms. "He's a freaky artist. Why the fuck would my daughter want to be with a guy that wears a thong?"

No one answered when they noticed Britain walking toward them. In fact, all heads turned in different directions, immediately alerting her that something was up. It wasn't uncommon for the four of them to act strange and frankly right now she couldn't be worried about it.

"Here." She said curtly to Hunter handing him his daughter. "She needs to be changed."

Hunter made a mocking face at Britain. "Well, why don't you change her?"

Dave shook his head as soon as he saw Britain's neck start to roll. _Shit…why do you always have to start with her?_ He and Hunter had had many talks about his relationship with her. Their relationship was born out of hurt, hate and jealousy, but after the drama had ensued, Hunter didn't feel the same anymore. He wouldn't go as far as to put Britain on his Christmas card list, that is, if Stephanie didn't make him, but he didn't hate her. Now, he just enjoyed tormenting her because he knew that she _really _hated him.

"Because she's _your _daughter and her mother is home, not feeling well because _you_ knocked her up again. The least you could do is change _your_ child." The idea that Stephanie would let Hunter within a hundred feet of her made Britain sick to her stomach. She could understand Aurora being the result of drunken stupor, but to let it happen again?

Hunter glared. This was the most fun he'd had all day. "Well, she's _your_ godchild." He rolled his neck at Britain just as she had done to him. "The least _you _could do is act like it."

"Ok…I'll change her." Dave said taking the baby out of Britain's arms. The last thing he wanted to see was a knock down, drag out fight between Britain and Hunter over who should change the child's diaper. "How bout that honey? Uncle Davey's gonna change your diaper. And maybe Tia Britain can help. Won't that be fun?"

Britain narrowed her eyes at Hunter and walked toward the house. She didn't want to cause a scene, but damn he was asking for it.

"You're a dick." Dave said to Hunter as he walked past him and into the house.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were outnumbered and none of them really seemed to notice…that was until now. There were five men, including Jeff, but he stayed with the women…plus he was suspected of wearing a thong; for all intents and purposes, he was counted as one of them. John, Dave, Hunter and Randy, sat at one table drinking beers, watching the women talk about girl stuff. Their table was relatively quiet, they would make an occasional "guy grunt", but they didn't really talk. All they could do was collectively wonder; how the hell the conversation turned to underwear.

Chase, who was perched on Jeff's lap, which pissed Dave off, sat next to Britain, who sat next to Christina. On the other side of the table was Alli and Maddy. Hell, even 14 month old Aurora was a girl, and she seemed to be living it up, with all of the rest of the estrogen at that table.

"Does he ever fucking talk?" Dave asked Randy as they sat watching how completely unmoved Jeff was about the conversation. "Why would he rather sit over there with _them_ instead of with us?"

Randy shook his head. "Maybe it's because he's comfortable, because he wears women's underwear." All of them men at their table held the same confused look.

"So, I got you a present." Britain said to X. Britain got up from the table to retrieve a bag and with a smile; she pulled out a small black stringy, see-through type of underwear. The resulting undergarment got whines of admiration from the women at their table and an interested gaze from the men at the other.

"Those are so cute." Maddy whined. "I want to go underwear shopping with you."

Dave immediately stood behind his daughter. "Hell no." Had everyone lost their damn minds?

Britain's slightly tipsy eyes looked up at Dave's. "What, you don't like them?"

"Where's the rest of it?" Dave asked suddenly very uncomfortable that his two youngest daughters would even ever look at such revealing clothing, let alone think they were "cute".

She reached in the bag and pulled out an equally revealing bra. "Right here." Britain said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

By this time, Randy, John and Hunter had found seats at the "women's" table. Their table was suddenly infinitely more interesting than where they were before.

Dave almost had a heart attack, when Alli reached across the table to take the bra-like item from Britain's hand and began examining it. Without thinking, he snatched the risqué garment from her and held it up to his wife. "This looks like dental floss." He turned it around to try to figure out just where the hell anything was supposed to fit in that faux-bra. From what he could tell, there were just a lot of thin strands of black string and then a little black see-through material that were shaped in triangles. It was barely enough to cover his knuckle.

"You don't like them?" Britain asked sounding a little disappointed.

He shook his head and handed it back to her.

Britain shrugged. "Jeff…he doesn't like it. Oh well, I guess it's yours now." She turned to X and handed her the matching set. "I had gotten you this…" she pulled out a nice silk robe and then smiled at Dave. "… but since Dave doesn't like _his_ present, I guess I won't be needing it."

"I love it." John said quickly. "I really, really love it." He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face thinking about what Christina would look like wearing that little number. Not even the deep growl from Dave was enough to stop him from smiling.

Dave's mind scrambled to think of something to say. "I didn't mean I didn't like it…I didn't like it for Maddy." How could he pass up little skimpy, see-through, strappy, can't quite figure out what it covers, kind of underwear? "You misunderstood me…I _really_ like it."

Britain shook her head. "Too late. It's John's now."

"What did you mean by 'Jeff, he doesn't like it?'" Dave suddenly wanted to know why Jeff was all up in Britain's underwear choices.

"Because Jeff picked them out for you. We had some time to kill this afternoon and I wanted to go shopping. He was kind enough to help me figure out what was sexy to a guy." Britain sat back down and rested her hands on the table.

Jeff instantly felt his heart race. How he managed to always do the wrong thing around Dave, he would never understand. He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I didn't mean that all guys would find it sexy, I just thought that she would look nice in it." So that didn't come out like he wanted it to, and the look on Dave's face confirmed it. "I don't mean that I was thinkin' about what Britain would look like half naked…it's just, if Chase would wear somethin' like that, I would think it was nice." _Keep digging Nero, keep digging._ "Not that Chase would wear somethin' like that…I mean, I wouldn't ask her to, but if she did…"

"It's ok baby." Chase turned to Jeff and noticed his face was a red as the plastic cup of punch he was drinking. "Daddy, I think what Jeff's trying to say is…"

"I know what _Jeff's_ trying to say." Dave said crossing his arms.

John decided he needed to step in and save the day, mainly because Randy and Hunter were too busy laughing to help the poor man out. John patted Dave on the shoulder. "Good lookin' out Hardy. I really admire your taste."

Dave's eyes slowly left John's and turned to Britain's. He gave her a pleading look that begged her to forgive him and get the underwear back some kind of way. Her smirk told him that she knew he was sorry and that he _really_ liked them, but she wouldn't be an Indian giver.

"Hell, while we're on the subject…are you wearing a thong, Jeff?" Randy asked like it was really nothing to it.

Jeff's head popped up at Randy's question. "Yeah?" Jeff said weakly.

"Why?" Hunter asked.

"How the fuck did we start talking about draws? I don't wanna know why he's wearing a thong." John stately bluntly. He turned his attention to Dave. "The problem is, there's too many fucking women in this house. You two need a son…bring up the testosterone level in here."

Britain looked at John and her eyes fell. Without words, she got up from the table and walked into the house. Dave felt all the air drain out of his lungs. She had been so happy today, so much like herself. Now the look was back…that look that reminded him that she was keeping something from him.

"Thanks." Dave said as he walked back to the house to find her.

John was completely clueless. "What?"

X shook her head. "Give me that." She snatched the underwear from him. "You don't get these anymore."

"Why? What did I do?" John demanded. She was threatening the panties…whatever he did, he was going to make it right so he could get them back.

X looked toward the house at her friend standing by the kitchen window. "They're trying to have a baby."

"Really? That's so cool." Maddy said with a smile. "I hope they have a boy, I always wanted a _brother._" She said looking at Alli.

X sighed. "Well, there might be a problem."

John felt like shit, he didn't mean anything by his comment. "I didn't know. I wouldn't have said anything if I knew."

Jeff rested his chin on Chase's shoulder and she pulled his arms tighter around her body. At least now he understood why Britain had been so preoccupied earlier. If only he had known what she was dealing with, he wouldn't have asked her for advice about Dave. His problem was trivial compared to theirs.

The table suddenly fell silent as each person wondered what exactly could be wrong.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dave walked up to Britain and moved her long black hair over to her right shoulder. As his arms circled her waist he leaned down to kiss her neck. "You can't keep hiding from me. Tell me what's wrong." He voice was soft and non-threatening, and could tell by the way she rested against him that she didn't feel forced.

"I'm fine." She rubbed is arms and looked out the kitchen window.

Dave closed his eyes and tried to keep his wits about him. "Britain, please…I fucking hate this. We don't keep secrets." He let go of her and turned her around to face him. Titling her chin up, he noticed that she refused to meet his eyes.

"There's no secret…I'm fine." She forced herself to smile as she walk awayed from him. "You think I should put the dessert out now?"

He leaned against the counter. Why was she playing this fucking game? He wanted to know what the problem was, and not the internal problem, but why she felt like she couldn't talk to him. "I'm trying…I really am. But I don't know how I'm supposed to help you, if you won't let me in."

"Just leave it alone, Dave." She started to go through the fridge and remove the items as if he hadn't said anything at all. "There's entirely too much pie and ice cream in this house. Somebody's got to eat it."

He could feel his anger rise. He didn't raise his voice, not at her…but God she was frustrating at times. He took a deep breath before he spoke, mostly so his next words could come out calmly. "I just want to help."

Britain held up her hand. "Davey, it's ok. I'm fine... really." She walked over to the cabinet and grabbed some bowls. "Here, take these outside."

But Dave stood his ground. He wanted her to talk to him and he wasn't letting it go; not this time. "I can't fix it, if I don't know what it is."

She whipped around at him and stared in disbelief. "Fix it? You can't fix this. You can't just waltz in and make everything all better. Stop treating me like one of your kids...you can't just fix me with your 'Daddy Knows Best' advice." She tried to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.

He walked toward her and gently ran his thumb across her cheek. "There's no sense in getting all worked up before you even see the doctor." He was almost pleading with her, but the way she moved away from him, he knew she wouldn't. "At least talk to me about it and we can try to get through this together."

Britain slammed the bowls on the counter and glared at him. "What's the fucking point in talking about it? It's not going to change anything. And I don't need to see Monique...she's only gonna tell me what I already know. I can't give you a baby, Dave. You want to fix something? Fucking fix that!"

Dave watched her walk out of the kitchen and he had no idea what the fuck was going on.


	6. Results

_Author's Note: I feel the need to explain the Jeff wearing a thong thing...on an episode of The Hardy Show, during the Egg Duel, Jeff and Matt are throwing eggs at each other. It is quite obvious from Jeff's pants falling around his waist that he his wearing neon underwear that closely resemble a thong or maybe a G-string. Either way, it's sexy as hell, just to know that he's not a tighty-whitey kinda guy. Since there have been some questions about that, I thought I'd clear it up for you._

_Thank you for continuing to read, and I hope that you will enjoy this chapter. It's a little sad, so be warned._

Results

Jeff Hardy sat back in his seat and tried not to breathe too loudly. It was bad enough that he to endure the 3 hour drive to the next Raw venue with Dave, but judging from the look on his face…he was not in a good mood. Not that Dave ever seemed to be in a good mood when Jeff was around, but he could tell it had more to do with him being in the car.

Jeff looked out the window, noticing how nondescript the highway was. As he stared at the upcoming signs, trying to guess what they said from more than 150 feet away, he started to tap the end of his pencil against the sketch pad on his lap. He found himself bobbing his head slowly and mouthing the music coming out of his iPod. Trapt always got him pumped. It was something about the angst in their music that Jeff could relate too; especially since that's how he was feeling in the car with Dave.

"Do you have to do that?" Dave asked looking over at Jeff briefly, before turning his eyes back to the road. He was having a hard enough time not letting the Def Leppard Hysteria CD that he was listening to disrupt his thoughts. But now, he had to listen to Jeff tap that damned pencil to the beat of something other than Love Bites.

Dave reached his hand over and clamped it down on Jeff's pencil, causing Jeff to look over at him. "Sorry." Jeff said quietly and he removed his headphones.

Gripping the wheel again with the same hand that had just attacked the pencil, Dave continued to try to ignore Def Leppard. All he could think about was the argument that happened before he picked up Jeff from the hotel.

He wasn't quite sure if Britain was still on speaking terms with him. Although, they would see each other in New York the next morning, he still hated leaving home for any extended amount of time when things weren't settled. That had been a recurring theme in both of his previous marriages…it's what he thought lead to their downfalls. Granted he wasn't in love with either of those wives, but still if he had tried to communicate better with them, maybe things wouldn't have ended up like they did.

Communication was not something that Dave was a master at. He just pretty much kept quiet until things demanded that he do something about them. Emily was right about him, he would let things fall apart and then at the last minute he would swoop in to save the day. Well guess what, that shit wasn't flying with Britain.

"_You need to do something about her, Dave. This is fucking ridiculous." Britain said storming into the kitchen. "I'm trying to be nice because you fathered her children, but I swear…"_

_Dave shook his head, the last thing he needed was for Emily, his first ex-wife and the mother of his children, and his current wife to do their own rendition of Croutching Tiger Hidden Dragon. "She's just frustrated." _

"_That doesn't give her the right to barge in here like she the fucking lord and master and start bitching at me." Britain was pissed. With everything else going on in her life, she really didn't need to put up with Emily's shit._

"_You're not staying here…now get your stuff and let's go!" Emily yelled from the living room._

_The sounds of Maddy crying were enough to grate Britain's nerves. "You need to go out there and do something."_

_Dave was caught in the middle. He knew that Emily had a point, Maddy couldn't just screw up at her house and then run to his as if she didn't have to face the consequences. But he also knew that things at Emily's house weren't going so great for her and maybe a few days away would help. "What do you want me to do?" _

_Britain rolled her eyes. "Just what you always do…nothing."_

_He knew he should have stopped her when she headed into the living room, but fuck…this was going to be shitty day. As if this impending battle wasn't bad enough, he still had to drive with fucking Hardy to the next show. Reluctantly, he walked into the room behind her._

"_Look Maddy, if you want to stay here, that's fine with me. But your mom wants you to go home. So I suggest you go upstairs get your stuff. You can call me or something if you need to talk." That was about as diplomatic as Britain was going to be. She had reinforced Emily's demands, yet she still left the door open for Maddy to return._

_If only it were that simple. Dave closed his eyes when he saw how Emily's posture changed and her eyes lock on Britain's taller form. "I don't need you telling my daughter where she can and can't go. I got this."_

_Britain raised her hand and counted slowly before she talked. "Emily…I'm just trying to help. You want Maddy home, I'm sending her home."_

"_You don't tell her what to do. She's not your kid. You want to be the boss of somebody's child, have your own fucking children."_

_Britain's eyes narrowed, but she found herself looking at Dave because that's where Emily's gaze fell. She was in total disbelief. "You fucking told her?" His silence said everything._

"_Don't act like you know how to be a better mother than I am, until you have some fucking kids of your own."_

_All bets were off at this point and Dave knew it. He found himself grabbing Britain by the arms to stop her from charging Emily. All he heard was a rant of Spanish words coming from her mouth, a few of them he recognized._

"_Pinche, punta!" 'Fucking whore!' She ended her rant before snatching her arms away from Dave. "Maybe if you were a better mother, than your daughter wouldn't come crying to me about how fucking miserable she is living with you. Maybe if you didn't compare her to her sisters all the fucking time and take the time to notice just how wonderful she is, she wouldn't be fucking half her school to get attention!"_

_What the fuck was Britain talking about? Why the fuck didn't anybody tell him about Maddy? Why the fuck did he tell Emily about Britain? Why the fuck did Chase and Jeff need to stay in a hotel last night? And why the fuck did he feel like the only sane person in his family?_

"_Oh believe me baby, she learned that shit from watching you. She sees how you sashay your ass around here; you got his nose so wide open he doesn't know his ass from his elbow." Emily was taking cheap shots and she knew it._

_Poor Maddy ran upstairs crying. She hated when her mom and Britain fought, especially because most of their recent fights had been about her. She loved Britain; she always looked up to her. In her mind, Britain was the perfect, she had everything. And now Britain was going to hate her because her mom was going to turn Britain against her. _"_Stop it!" Maddy yelled from the top of the stairs. "You're always trying to ruin everything for me. I hate you!"_

"_You see this…this is what I have to put up with. You come into town twice a fucking month and spoil them rotten, but I have to put up with this shit when you're gone." Emily locked eyes with Dave's disappointed gaze, "You want her? Fucking take her. I'm sick of doing your fucking job, David. You deal with her…I'm done."_

_Britain stepped back and looked around the room as if she missed something. "What the fuck kind of mother just says I'm done with their child?"_

"_The kind that's sick of living in your shadow. You think you can do a better job than me? Prove it. She's all yours."_

_Britain stared at the door as Emily slammed it behind her and then she looked back at Dave. Before he could even speak, she threw her hand up to shut him up and started up the stairs to try to console Maddy._

If Dave's eyebrows could have gotten any closer together they would have been one. His lips moved as if he was talking to himself, but no words came out. Jeff looked at his cautiously and against his better judgment, he spoke. "You wanna talk about it?"

Dave looked at Jeff and rolled his eyes. "With you? No."

Jeff shrugged, at least he tried. "Well, I'm right here…right next to you. The only other person in this car…over here all by myself; if you change your mind."

Dave sucked his teeth. Why the hell would he talk to Jeff about anything? "You know what burns me up? The fact that she's the one keeping shit from me, but somehow I'm wrong."

Jeff didn't know what Dave was talking about, but he wouldn't let that stop him. Instead of interjecting, he just sat back and listened.

"Is Chase like that? Has she lost her damn mind too?" Dave temporarily forgot that he was talking to Jeff. He just needed to make sure that he wasn't going crazy and at that moment, Jeff was as good a person as any to talk to.

Jeff smiled. "Yeah. Chase can lose it, real quick."

"Why are they like that? I don't care how many women I dated, or married, I still don't understand them. She keeps this shit about my daughter from me, and she's mad at me for being concerned about her. But if I wasn't concerned, then she'd be pissed about that."

Jeff nodded. He knew this routine all too well. Although he and Chase didn't argue that much, he learned that when she said, she didn't want to talk about it, to leave it alone. "Why not just wait until she's ready to talk about it."

Dave looked at Jeff and made a face. "Why the hell am I getting advice from a man that wears women's underwear?"

Jeff shrugged, for some reason he needed to explain. "It wasn't really a thong, Dave. It was more like G-string…you know like strippers wear." He felt his cheeks get hot as he thought about how over the last few months he found that he actually enjoyed wearing a cocksock. Not only did it provide relief from feeling his junk touching his thighs, but Chase had been a big fan of it, since he modeled it for her.

"So, not only is my daughter shacking up with a weird artist that wears her underwear, but now you're a stripper too?" Dave couldn't figure out what Chase saw in him.

Jeff could tell that no matter what he said, it wasn't going to be the right thing. "No…it's just comfortable." Jeff pulled his earphones back on his ears and turned back to the window.

Dave shook his head and turned up the radio. At least Def Leppard understood where he was coming from, and they didn't wear bright yellow thongs.

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Her heart pulse pumped so loud in her ears that she couldn't hear anything. With her eyes closed, the tears still fell and she bit her lip to try to stop the cry from coming out. All she could think about was how she was going to tell him. A warm hand touched hers and she slowly opened her eyes to look at her friend.

"Britain, honey…you're a mess. From what I can tell, it looks like one of your ovaries is shot to hell; that's why your periods are so irregular" Dr. Monique Allen tried her best speak softly to Britain to comfort her. It was harder to break the news to her than any of her other patients. They had been friends for so long; she hated to break her heart. "There's so much scar tissue, it's a wonder your not in pain all the time."

Britain found her voice but it was weak. "But they said that I would be fine…they said I should still be able to have children…"

"I know, but _should_ was the operative word. Everybody heals differently and at the time I'm sure they didn't think that you would scar that bad. Honey it's like a spider web of tissue tying everything together. It's really bad." Monique didn't want lie to her, but she hated telling her the truth.

"Can you fix it? I just want you fix it, so we can have a baby." Britain cried with a small smile. It was her last chance at hope.

Monique pulled her chair directly in front of Britain and took her hands in her own. "Listen. I can't guarantee that even if I can fix it, you can get pregnant. From what I could tell from your sonogram, only one ovary works. That means, you only ovulate every other month. More than likely, I can't fix that. Even if I could untangle everything else in there, it could be worse."

"How? What could possibly be worse than this?" She sucked in the moan that she wanted to let out. Her now red checks were glistening with tears and Monique reached out and wiped them away.

"Honey…the way the tissue is set, if I could separate it, I would probably damage your uterus. If that happens and you get pregnant, then you may not be able to carry a baby to term."

Britain's face broke down and she buried her head in her hands. "What do I tell Dave?"

Monique sat up in her chair. "He doesn't know does he?"

It wouldn't be so bad, if she had told him before. But now she was going to have to tell him that she really couldn't have kids and worst off, she would have tell him why. "I don't talk about it. Only you and X know and the only reason you know, is because you're my doctor." Britain let the sob overtake her as her friend held her close.

With a sigh, Dr. Allen handed Britain a few brochures. "I believe in miracles, so don't give up yet. There are some other things we could try. There are shots to make you ovulate more, or we could try surgery…I don't recommend it, but you could try it, or we could try invetro…I know a great fertility specialist…"

Britain looked at the pamphlets confused. "So there's still a chance?"

"The way things are now…no. But I want you take these home and talk to Dave about your options. When you figure out what you want to do, you call me." Monique's voice was still calm as s tried to reassure her friend. "If it makes you feel any better, I've seen worse cases than yours."

"But do they have biological children now?"

Sadly, Monique shook her head. "No."

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Dave snapped his cell phone shut and stormed up the hallway toward the men's locker room. Cursing out loud he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the people looking at him. He was the picture of cool at all times, there had only been a handful of occasions that any of his co-workers had seen him upset. But they didn't know his wife like he did. This was the fourth message he had left her, and she still hadn't called him back.

With his mind a thousand miles from the arena that he was fumbling through, he looked down at the object that appeared out of no where. "Oh shit…I'm sorry." He said bending down to help the woman off of the floor.

With a smile on her face, she waved her hand. "Where's the fire?" She stood up and moved her long brown hair over to one shoulder.

Dave found himself at a loss for words for a moment. He hadn't seen her since the Diva Search try outs. She was strikingly beautiful, with long legs that made her 5'6" height seem taller than she was. She had long brown hair and big green eyes. He had seen her pictures in one of Randy's Playboys a few months back; and though he would never admit it, he had released himself to her image that night when he was alone in his hotel room.

"I didn't see you." He said as he stepped back and tried to remember the Playboy Playmate's name. "Rebecca, right?"

"Yup. Rebecca DiPietro; my friends call me Bex. You're Dave..." With a coy smile, she stuck out her hand and noticed the wedding band on his as he went to grasp it. ",and you're married. Too bad."

We watched her walk down the hall passed him, and noticed that when she reached the corner, she flipped her hair and smiled at him. He didn't know why he smiled back; he was supposed to be pissed off. But in that moment, the smile from the beautiful new Diva made him forget all about the fact that Britain was ignoring him.


	7. Making it Better

_Author's note: Fanfiction is finally working...so now I can upload this chapter. Thanks for the reviews, I hope you like it. I'll try to bring up the mood in the next chapter._

_**This chapter contains sexual content.**_

Making it better

Chase reached over and hit the alarm clock; beat the hell out the alarm clock would be more accurate. She couldn't remember ever feeling this tired in all of her 21 years. _It must be the jetlag_, she said to herself as she rolled back over in her big empty bed.

She hated when Jeff was away, mainly because she hated to sleep in that bed all alone. Although, sleeping without Jeff had its perks. At least when he wasn't there, she could actually move. He had this annoying habit of snuggling up to her, no matter how far away from him she moved, he would roll over to whatever edge she was perched on and attach himself to her. Not that she really minded, either, she loved having him that close. But sometimes, she just wanted to stretch out, sleep widthwise, diagonal, or whatever way her body landed.

Feeling herself drift once more, she reached over to grab the annoying clock again. After successfully throwing the offending timepiece against the wall, she realized that it would not stop ringing. Opening her eyes, she looked over at the phone. "Hello?" She said with her voice full of sleep.

A southern drawl greeted her on the other end. "Hey baby. You still sleep?"

Trying to open her eyes, Chase rolled back onto Jeff's pillow. "Yeah. It's the butt crack of dawn, why are you calling me this early?"

"Baby, its 10:30." Jeff said as he looked at his watch. "I was makin' sure that you got up. You got class this mornin', right?"

Chase sat up in the bed and ran her fingers through her long blonde hair. "What? How the hell is it 10:30 already? Shit."

Jeff laughed. Chase rarely cursed and he always thought it was funny when she did. Especially since her voice was so soft, almost like a baby's. Hearing bad words come from that voice was enough to send him into a fit of hysterics. "Say it again."

"What?"

"Say shit again. It's funny." He smiled as he sat on the floor in the airport, waiting for the flight from Orlando to New York to board.

Letting out a huff, she threw the covers off of her and padded toward the bathroom. "I'm glad you're finding this amusing, Mr. I Always Get Up On Time. But I'm already an hour behind. It's going to take me at least a half hour to get ready and then another hour drive to campus…and I haven't even studied for my test yet."

Jeff sat back and doodled a picture of Chase on the phone, with a big balloon caption that said, 'shit'. "I would've called you earlier, but I was crazy busy."

Resting against the sink, she sighed. "Jeffy, I didn't mean to get snippy with you. It's not your fault I overslept. I just can't seem to get things straight lately. Since that trip, my mind is like somewhere else."

"Is it anywhere near me?" He asked as he closed his eyes and listened to her purr on the phone.

"Always." She whispered in his ear, causing a smile to cross her face.

Jeff looked up and saw the boarding sign flash across the terminal. "Baby, I gotta go. Call me when you get outta class. I love you."

"I love you, too."

He stood and picked up his bag off the floor. "Hey Chase?" He smiled when she answered him with a mouth full of toothbrush. "Don't _ever_ call me Jeffy again. You know how much I hate that fuckin' name."

Removing the toothbrush from her mouth she laughed. "Got it Jeffy. I'll talk to you later."

She hung up the phone and looked at herself in the mirror. _I look like shit._ Her eyes were sunken in, she looked flushed and she was tired as hell. _Just what I need, to get sick before Spring Break._

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Dave didn't know how he ended up at the table in the airport with the new Diva, but there he was. Waiting for his flight, which was already late; he found talking to her easy.

"So like I said, I lost the competition and got a contract. Pretty weird, huh?" Rebecca said sipping her iced tea. "I haven't been in the ring yet, but I'm so excited."

Dave nodded and looked at his cell phone. Britain still hadn't called him. "Do you know which brand you're going to?"

Shaking her head, she played with the straw in her glass. "Not yet. Right now, they just have me traveling with each brand for a few weeks. I get to choose where I want to go. I'm leaning toward Raw, but there are already more Divas there than Smackdown and ECW's on the rise..."

"Raw's good. There's a lot of nice people here. But Smackdown has its perks too." Dave answered as he picked up his phone again.

Rebecca knitted her brows. "Are you expecting a call? This is like the 10th time you checked that phone in that last 5 minutes."

Dave smiled. "That obvious, huh?" He put the phone in the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "I was hoping my wife would have called me by now. I haven't talked to her since yesterday."

Rebecca let her fingers drum on the table as she listened. "Aww, that's so sweet. You must be newlyweds."

Dave pursed his lips. "Why do you say that? Just because I enjoy talking to my wife, you assume that I haven't been married long?"

Even though it was true, Dave wouldn't let on to it. He didn't want to be one of those cliché types; married for 15 year and can barely stand to be in the same room with his spouse. No for him, the third time had to be the charm. He wasn't doing it again, this marriage was going to work come hell or high water.

She studied his face, then looked at his hand. "I'm right aren't I? You even still wear the wedding band. How long you been married, a year, eighteen months?"

"Almost three months." Dave said laughing. "But we've been together for almost five years. That's gotta count for something."

"Yeah, it says a lot, especially since you're this worried over not talking to her after a day. So tell me, what kind of woman got the famous Mr. Batista?" It was something in Rebecca's body language that Dave found attractive. She wasn't pretentious like other Divas. She had a real personality and he found that refreshing.

Resting back in his chair, Dave let a huge smile cross his face. "Well to start, she's a model. I know, small world. She mostly does runway, but she does some print stuff too. She's really sweet and she's real. I can't tell you how many phony people I meet on a daily bases." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Thumbing through he found a photo of he and Britain at a Raven's game. Decked out from head to toe in purple and black, Britain sat on Dave's lap, grinning holding a huge finger while he kissed her cheek. Although it wasn't one of the best they had ever taken, it was one of his favorites. Dave slid the picture over to Rebecca and smiled at the memory of that day.

"She's beautiful." Rebecca said handing Dave back the picture.

Dave looked at the photo again and nodded. "That she is. You can't tell by this picture, because I think her hair was pulled back, but she has this long, black hair that drives me insane. And she has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen." He could have gone on about Britain's other amenities, like the fact that she had long legs that went all the way up and made an ass of themselves, or how she had an incredibly flat tummy that blended perfectly with strikingly round hips. No, Rebecca wouldn't be interested in hearing about that, so he cut the compliments there.

"Does Mrs. Perfect do everything right?" Rebecca asked looking down into her empty glass.

Dave found himself laughing whole heartily at that question. "In her mind she does. I love her with all my heart, but she can piss me off like nobody else. Like she has this annoying way of always being right; it's like she always makes me see her side of things, even when I don't want to. She speaks her mind all the damn time and she doesn't back down from anything. I like admire that about her though, but I can't tell you how many times I've had to hold her back from kicking somebody's ass. But I think the thing that gets to me the most is sometimes when she's trying to hide something from me, she speaks Spanish or German, because she knows I don't know what the hell she's talking about. She's of mixed heritage, her dad's Austrian and her mom is Black and Mexican, so she grew up speaking different languages. At first I used to love when she would do that, now I'm halfway tempted to take a class just so I feel like I'm in the loop."

Rebecca nodded, suddenly becoming bored of the conversation. "She sounds great. You're really lucky."

Dave noticed the change in Rebecca's attitude. "I'm sorry. I have a tendency to go on and on about her. What about you? You married?"

Shaking her head, Rebecca let out a sarcastic laugh. "Hell no. Came close once, but no dice. He couldn't handle me posing in Playboy, so one day I went to the store, came back and he was gone. He told me that he couldn't stand having all of his friends see his fiancé naked." She shrugged her shoulders and pushed her glass away.

Dave looked over his shoulder and noticed the marquee flashing for his flight. "Well, that's us. We should get going."

"I enjoyed talking to you Dave. Maybe we could do this again." She said with a smile.

Dave picked up his bag and started for the terminal. "I'd like that."

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Britain made it to the Hyatt in Manhattan just before 11am. She had a meeting with the people at VH1 to do I Love the 80's part IV. It's not like she didn't have the time to kill, with her contract being as it was. To keep herself from going insane, she knew that she would have to take some side work.

She had dropped her bags in the room, before taking a cab to the studio. She knew that Dave's flight would not get in until four, so she had plenty of time to put the pamphlets away until she had a chance to talk to him about everything.

What she didn't count on was seeing an old friend as she left the studio. "Hey Buttercup." A voice called from a room as she stood outside the elevator.

Turning around, she was met with beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair. "Holy shit. Cupcake. What's up?" She walked over to her friend and gave him a warm hug.

Shaking his head, Jericho explained that he was doing some side work for VH1 and Best Week Ever. Between his radio show, his band, this project and his family, he was keeping himself busy. He convinced her to go to lunch with him and before she knew it, they were at a little café having drinks and deep in conversation.

"How's Jess and the kids?" She asked him seriously. Britain had heard about his twin girls and their premature birth. The last she heard, one of the girls was not doing do so well.

Chris smiled. "Everybody's fine. The girls came home about two months ago and Ash is still the man. I feel sorry for Jess though, but she's doing a hell of a job. I thought leaving the company would give me more time at home; but now I'm just as busy as I ever was." Chris ran his fingers through his hair. "So how bout you? How's the big ape treating you?"

"We're good." Britain said with a fake smile and looked down at her menu.

If there was one person who could read her like a book, it was Chris. "Bullshit. What's up?"

"Leave it alone Jericho. I'm fine." Britain would not meet his eyes, but did when she felt his hand on hers.

"Brit, you could always talk to me about anything. What's up?"

Britain and Chris had been friends for a long time; even as far back to when he was in the WCW. When they met, she was dating a guy that wrestled for that company. And at that time, he proved to be someone that she could always turn to.

"We're just going through some shit right now. It's not even him, it's me." She could feel the sting in the back of her eyes, but she wouldn't cry. Chris hadn't seen her cry in years and she'd be damned if it was going to happen now.

He studied her closely and leaned in to speak. "For what it's worth, whatever's bothering you, tell him about it. If you can't trust the man that married with your secrets, what the hell are you married for?"

"It's not that easy." Britain said with a sigh. "God I wish it were."

"You know if you ever need to talk, you can always call me. You might not remember, but I'm a pretty good listener." That was all he said. And although he wanted to, he wouldn't pry because that was _not_ Chris Jericho's style.

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"Babe?" Dave called as he opened the hotel room door. He was greeted with silence. Sitting his bags down by the table, he walked over to the bed and smiled at her opened suitcase, with clothes hanging out of it. With a sigh, he started the task of closing the bag, so that he could stretch out. However, something caught his attention.

Normally, pamphlets would not be something that he would have looked twice at, but the title on the first one held his interest. **Dealing with Infertility. **"What the fuck?" He said out loud and pushed the suitcase over. Dave sat on the bed and looked at the title under that one, **IVF, Invitro Fertilization**, and the title under that **Hormone Injections**. He could hardly believe his eyes as he found them clouding up with tears.

No wonder she hadn't called him. How was she supposed to break _this _to him? She wouldn't even talk to him about the possibility of not being able to have a baby, and now she was supposed to reveal that she actually couldn't. And why couldn't she? She was young and healthy. And more importantly, how was he supposed to help her through this? She shut down every time he brought it up. And why did she have to go through that alone. He should have been there, right next to her in the doctor's office with her, listening to Monique break the news.

In a knee jerk reaction, Dave picked up her bag and threw it across the room. He was hurt, he was scared and most of all he was heartbroken. Trying to catch his breath he walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.

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Chase looked at the paper in front of her and drew a complete blank. Never in her life had she no idea what was going on when it came to a test. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't concentrate; all she could think about was taking a nap. Well, a nap and a Hershey bar.

Racking her cloudy brain, she struggled to find answers to simple questions. Why the hell was she so tired? She had gotten home around 7 and was in the bed by 9, and she overslept by an hour. There was no reason for her to be that tired.

Finally giving up, she turned her paper in to her professor.

Looking up at her, Professor Jones made a face. "You're done already? You haven't even answered all of the questions."

Chase shrugged. "Jetlag. I knew I should have waited until spring break to go away. It's just one grade, right? I'll make it up next time."

Walking out of the classroom Chase sighed. _Jetlag should've worn off by now. That's it, if I don't feel better by this weekend, I'm going to the doctor. Nothing is going to stop our weekend in Cancun._

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"Hey Babe." Dave said with a smile as the room door opened.

Britain raised her brows. He was beautiful, wearing only a pair of black sweatpants, he bronze glistened with water, his damp black hair waved perfectly on his head, the five o'clock shadow that he had been sporting for the past few weeks had been shaved off and he smelled like Dove soap mixed with the baby soft sent of women's shaving cream. How the hell was she supposed to break this beautiful man's heart.

He walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. Kissing the side of her head, he let out a breath. He wouldn't make her tell him, she didn't have to. All he wanted to do was to take her pain away. "I missed you."

Melting into the feel of his hard muscles against her, she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't call you back."

He pulled away and took her hand. Leading her to the bed, he sat down and positioned her to stand between his legs. "Still mad at me?" He smiled when she shook her head. This shit with Emily and Maddy would have to wait, so would all this other shit. He reached up and started to unbutton her shirt. "How'd your meeting go?"

She tried to concentrate, but the feeling of his hands rubbing over her shoulders as he slid her shirt down her arms made it difficult. "Good."

Reaching for the button on her skirt, he smiled. "So, are you gonna do it?"

She shrugged. "I guess. Hey, guess who I ran into today?"

He held her waist as she stepped out of the skirt. Drawing her closer to him, he placed a soft kiss on her stomach. "Who?"

Her hands felt the back of his head as his tongue slowly started to swirl in her navel. "Jericho. He was there doing something for one of their shows."

Moving his mouth further up her stomach, he left a trail of wetness that lead to her breastbone. "Really? How's he doing?"

Her breath caught in her throat at the feel of his hands slowly pulling down her panties. "He's fine. He's busy with all the stuff he's doing, but he said that his twins came home."

Dave nodded and looked in her eyes. He reached up to unhook the front clasp of her bra. She stood before him naked and he couldn't help but to smile. "Absolutely beautiful." Her soft cream colored skin was covered in goose bumps from his touch. The rise and fall of her breasts with each heavy breath she took made something deep inside him growl. He loved her, no matter what, he loved her.

He stood up and pulled off his sweatpants, fully exposing his desire for her. Sealing the gap between them, he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her feet off the floor and before laying her on the bed. "I love you." He said softly before his lips attacked hers.

She couldn't resist kissing him, no matter what she had to tell him. Especially not when his hands seemed to know how to trail down her sides and make her forget how to form coherent sentences. As his tongue found her neck, she held his head. "Dave…I need to tell you…" Her voice was small, small enough that she hoped he wouldn't hear it.

He raised his head to meet her eyes and rubbed his thumb across her temple. "Unless your gonna tell me that you love me, it's not important."

"It is important."

"Right now, nothing is more important than this." He leaned down and touched his lips to hers softly. "Tell me you love me."

His knee found its way between her legs and slowly he parted them so that he lay between hers. Dipping his head lower, his tongue trailed the valley of her breasts as his hand slowly started to knead one. His mouth traveled to her nipple and with a sweet suction, he fed on the stiff peak causing her to smile at his ministration. She could feel him; mere inches from where she desperately wanted him to be and the look in his eyes only increased her desire for him. "I love you, so much."

With a smile, he slowly felt her warmth, inch by inch. The sounds of her breath releasing in satisfaction forced his eyes shut. All he could concentrate on was the feel of her body sheathing him. He found a slow rhythm making each stroke deliberate. He wanted her to feel that she was the most important thing in the world to him and no matter what they had to face, he would always love her.

Britain held on to him as she set the pace of their tongue dance. "Te amo, Papi." She said causing him to smile. He loved when she called him that, especially when they were making love. It only heightened his arrousal, causing his rhythm increase.

Looking at her wet lips, swollen from his kiss, his brows knitted. "You feel so good."

She matched his strokes, twirling her hips, forcing him deeper inside her. Her soft moans, filled his ears like a symphony. "Mmmm Papi, muy bueno."

"Turn over," he commanded gently pulling her left leg across her right. Now on all fours, he stroked himself looking at her body positioned that way. She pulled her hair over to her right shoulder and looked back at him with want. Slowly he licked her back from the small of it up to her shoulder. Easily he slid into her feeling every one of her pliable muscles accept him. He held on to her waist and pushed her into to his length as he remained still.

She felt one of his arms grab her around the waist and the other trailed down between her legs. His soft fingers made circular motions further heightening her pleasure. She laid her head on the bed, the only balance she had left. Arching her back, her hands covered his as she tightly slid them down and grabbed his wrists. Her hands opened and closed around his wrists as she felt the impending climax.

"Yeah Brit...that's it baby. I want to feel you." He moaned while gently used his tongue to trail the sweat that rolled on her spine.

At that moment she lost it. "Davey…shit." She tried to still her breathing, but it was of no use. It was happening, the sweet release that he had created. "Davey..." She whined as she erupted in spasms.

Collapsing to the bed, Dave laid on top of her slowing his movements. Her muscles still contracted around him as he felt his own release approaching. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to her cheek. "I love you." He moaned holding her tighter. Empting inside of her, he held her tightly from behind, before rolling them over to the side.

Still spooning against her, he rested his chin the bend of her neck and said nothing. She was content to wind her fingers in his and just feel him close to her. "Dave?" She said softly, turning in his arms to face him. She stroked her hand over his baby smooth cheek and concentrated on his lips. She couldn't meet his eyes, she couldn't take seeing the disappointment in them. "Dave, I…"

He put his finger to her lips. "I know. I saw the literature in your bag." He said softly as he stroked her hair. "There's still hope, right." He tried to sound as optimistic as he could even though he wasn't sure himself.

She nodded painfully. "I could take medicine or have surgery." She tried to steady herself, but she could feel the emotion welling up inside of her. "Or artificial insemination." Her voice broke as the damn of tears she had built collapsed.

Dave's heart broke seeing her so sad. "No tears. We'll get through this. People go through it all the time. And if those things don't work, there's surrogacy or adoption…"

"I don't want that. I want to feel what it's like to have morning sickness. I want to have a piece of you grow inside of me. I want to have a huge belly and not see my feet. I want you to talk to my stomach when I'm asleep." Her tears were uncontrollable and her voice shook as she tried to explain it to him. "I'm so sorry."

He couldn't help the tears that slipped from his eyes either. She was blaming herself. It was one of those freak of nature things, and she blamed herself for it. "This is not your fault. We'll deal with this ok?" His voice was so sweet and he tired like hell to believe what he was telling her. "Whatever you want, we'll try it. I'm not going anywhere."

She closed her eyes and cried against him, feeling his hands stroke her back. "I'm sorry." If only he knew the truth, he wouldn't be so understanding. But she couldn't go into that now. Now all she could do was feel him comfort her and before long she drifted to sleep.

Dave held Britain silently and prayed that is wouldn't be something to ruin yet another marriage.


	8. Secrets

Dave stared at Britain's face. She was beautiful; just as beautiful as the day he met her, the first time kissed her, the first time he made love to her, the day he married her. Letting his finger softly trace down her nose he smiled when her eyes opened. The paleness of her eyes always intrigued him; they were like looking through glass. Her eyes always told everything about her and today, they showed her sadness.

Not saying a word, Britain looked into Dave's brown eyes. She could see all the love that he had for her. His eyes were a warm brown, like the color of caramel; they always made her feel warm and protected.

The two of them lay next to each other staring, neither of them saying anything with their mouths, but instead with their eyes. Britain slowly let her hand touch his face and her delicate fingers touched his hairline near his temple. She let a sad smile settle on her face, only to tell him that she was okay.

"I gotta get up." He whispered still not taking his eyes off of hers.

Britain remained silent for a few more moments and finally she pulled his arm around her. "I don't want you to go." She whispered as she moved over to rest her head on his chest.

Dave reached over to the night stand and grabbed his phone. "Orton, it's Dave. I'm not going to the gym this morning; I got something important to do." He hung up the phone and placed it back on the table. He wrapped his other arm around Britain and held her tightly. "See, all done. I'm not going anywhere. Now, what would you like to do?"

Britain ran her hand across Dave's massive chest and sighed. "I just want you to hold me and never let me go."

Dave's chuckle seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. "Really? Well you're in luck. You see how big my arms are?" Britain nodded. "It just so happens that these arms are great for whatever ails you as long you stay in them."

She loved when would say things like that to her. He always made her feel safe. And even after the bombshell she dropped the night before, he was still just as protective of her as he had always been.

He let the silence between them get to him as his mind started to wander to the events of the past couple of days. "Babe…what's going on with Maddy?" He knew it really wasn't the time or place to discuss his daughter, but _she_ wasn't talking about the other issue at hand.

Britain sighed. _Here we go_. "She's hurting, Davey. I don't know what up, but it's gonna be trouble."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked still stroking her shoulder. He was not going to raise his voice or freak out. Although, that's what he did with Chase; but that had more to do with _who_ Chase was sleeping with than the fact that she was sleeping with someone.

Britain shrugged. "I just found out a few days ago. I didn't want you going all ballistic on the girl. She's going through a lot."

Dave thought of a thousand things he could say, but they seemed inappropriate. He would settle this Maddy situation when he came home. Instead, he went for the Prince Charming approach. "Thank you."

Britain raised her head. "That's it? Thank you? No temper tantrum, no throwing shit around?" Even she was shocked he was handling this so well. Britain remembered how Dave acted with Jeff, it's a wonder he wasn't on the first plane back to Tampa ready to hunt down and kill whoever had deflowered his daughter.

"I don't have the energy; you wore me out last night." He said with a laugh. "But thank you for being someone that my girls can come to. You are going to make a wonderful mother."

Britain shook her head and returned it to the place on his chest. "Yeah." She said quietly before closing her eyes again.

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John dialed X's number and then hung up his phone. He had been trying to call her for the past ten minutes but didn't have the nerve too. Why did he have to be the one to apologize for their latest fight?

It was stupid really. All he did was invite her to go away with him to Massachusetts in for his parent's anniversary. When she said she couldn't he got pissed. He hadn't meant for that comment about inviting one of his other girls with him to come out. The truth was, there were no other girls. But she didn't need to know that. It was her fault anyway, it's like whenever he would ask her to just up and go with him, she never would. He found her behavior suspicious. She always had to check to see if she was available. What the fuck was she checking for? Sure she worked, but hell, she could take her camera with her.

This particular fight had been a nasty one. And try as he might, he didn't know if she was going to forgive him this time. Shaking his head, he picked up his phone again and dialed the number.

"Hello?" Her voice answered. She sounded a little too happy to be torn up over their argument.

John made a face at the phone like he was wishing that she would have been a little heart broken or something. "Hey. You busy?"

Hearing his voice, X's tone changed. "Maybe."

John paced his hotel room trying to find something other than I'm sorry to say. "So, um, did you check your schedule?"

X sat down on her bed and huffed. "Why John? You still want me go with you to see your people? I thought you were getting another one of your bitches to take my place."

The tone of her voice was something that John hadn't heard in a long time. He had fucked up and he knew it. But more than knowing that he fucked up, was the fact that she didn't seem that pissed about it. "X…this is fuckin' ridiculous. If you ain't wanna go, that's all you had to say."

"I don't want to go." She said quickly. "I'm going to Puerto Rico for a few weeks, so even if I did want to, I can't."

John felt himself tense up. Where the fuck did this spur of the moment Puerto Rico trip come from? "What's in Puerto Rico?"

Christina ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. She knew this was about to start another argument. But fuck him; it wasn't like they had a commitment or anything. "The Colón family is being honored and I said that I would do the photos for it."

John looked at his cell to make sure that he wasn't getting a bad connection. "Colón? As in Carlito?" He heard a knock on his door and walked over to answer it. Looking at Randy, he held up his finger to single that he would be a minute. "What the fuck is up with y'all? Why are always with him? Is he tappin' that ass?"

First of all, she didn't appreciate the tone of his voice. Secondly, how dare he ask her that? "No. Not that you would fucking notice if he was."

"What the fuck does that mean? I bet you are lettin' him hit. It took what, a hello and smile for you to jump on my dick?" He said with a harshness that made Randy flinch.

Christina shook her head. He wouldn't understand it anyway. "Fuck you, Cena." She said as she hung up the phone.

John sat on his bed defeated. What was supposed to be a phone call to apologize ended up with him accusing her of sleeping with someone else. Looking at Randy, he shook his head. "I don't know what the fuck just happened."

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A knock at the door interrupted Dave feeling Britain's lips roam over his muscular chest. Thinking that he would have to kill whoever was at the door, he looked down at his wife and sighed. "Go away!" He yelled, pulling her up to his lips.

The knock happened again and this time, Britain pulled away. "It's probably the food. Somebody just _had_ to order room service. I could've serviced you in this room, but no, you wanted French toast." She said with a smile.

Kissing her once again, he whispered in her ear. "You still can." Standing up, he reached for his sweatpants and turned back to the bed. "Don't move a muscle. I'm serious, when I come back to this bed, you better be just like this." He took the liberty to stretch her legs out so they would be in optimal position for him when he returned. Pointing a finger at her and nodding his head, he let her know that he was not playing. "Just like that…perfect."

The sweatpants did little to hide the tenting that was happing in his groin. When he opened the door a crack, he smiled to find Rebecca standing in the hall.

"Hey." He said shocked that she would be outside of his doorway.

She was dressed in running clothes, blue track pants, white tank top and her long brown hair pulled through a Dodger's baseball cap. "Hi." She flashed her big smile at him. "I was hoping you'd wanna go jogging with me. I don't really know anybody with Raw yet and you know that whole running around Central Park by yourself thing."

Noticing that Dave hadn't come back right away, Britain got out of the bed and found one of his shirts. Putting the oversized shirt on, she walked barefoot toward the door and stood behind him. "Need help?" She asked sweetly, thinking that room service was finally there.

Rebecca peered around Dave and noticed Britain's lack of clothing and Dave's half naked appearance, and then the tenting in his pants. "Oh…oh, I'm sorry." She said feeling the creep of blush stain her cheeks. "I didn't know your wife was here."

Dave felt completely awkward, but he didn't know why. He opened the door wider, so that Britain could see Rebecca. "Babe, this is Rebecca…she's a new Diva. Rebecca this is my wife, Britain."

Britain stepped forward and extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you." She said shaking Rebecca's hand. It's not like she had anything to worry about. She trusted Dave and besides, Rebecca was so not his type.

"I just wanted to know if he wanted to go jogging." Rebecca said as if she needed to explain.

"It's not a good time." Dave replied, looking back at Britain who was rummaging through her bag to find clothes. "We're staying in this morning."

Britain waved her hand. "No, go. I'm fine Davey, really."

Leaving the door open, Rebecca took the liberty to walk into the room. Dave walked over to Britain and knelt down beside her as she sat on the floor. "Babe, you wanted me to stay in with you. I'm not going anywhere."

"If you stay here, I'm just going to keep feeling sorry for myself. Go, please. Go exercise or whatever it is you do that makes you sweat and smell like a puppy. If you really want to cheer me up, when you get back, let's just do something normal." She said resting her head on his arm.

He cupped the back of her head and pulled her face up to meet his. "What's normal?"

Her smile made his heart dance. "I don't know, go to the movies, go shopping…something."

"Whatever you want." Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Are you sure this is ok?" He stood and helped her off the floor.

"Just don't get mugged." She said with a smile.

Dave grabbed his bag and signaled to Rebecca to wait for him. He quickly changed in the bathroom and came out ready to run. "I'll be back in about an hour." He said to Britain before kissing her again.

She watched him leave and she too headed into the bathroom to soak in a hot bath and melt all of the last 48 hours away.

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"Can you believe he fucking accused me of fucking Carly? I mean what the fuck? Who does he think he is?" X yelled on the phone with Britain.

All she wanted to do was to enjoy her bath. But as it wasn't going to be that easy, not when X was pissed. And knowing John like she did, it would only be a matter of time before he was knocking on the hotel room door to talk to her about her best friend. Britain loved John, she really did, but since he had started seeing X, she had seen more than enough of him. She and Dave tried to tell him before that X was _complicated_, but John didn't listen. He never listened.

"Well come on, what do you expect him to think? Why don't you just tell him? It's not like it's a big secret or anything?" Britain said as she played with the bubbles in tub. X was going about this all wrong, she should've been upfront about it from the beginning; now it was just suspect.

X let out a high pitched squeal. "How's that glass house working out? You know if I explain it to him, then I have to go into everything."

"Chica listen, John'll understand; I don't understand why you keep her a secret. Just talk to him about it and explain how Carly fits in…he'll understand."

X could feel herself getting pissed. Britain was her best friend and she should be taking her side of this conversation. "I don't see you telling your _husband_ about Marcus. It was so fucking long ago; he needs to know why you can't have kids now. This shit with John is trivial. I'm not married to him; I don't even know if he's my boyfriend…all we do is fuck and fight. I don't owe him shit."

Britain rolled her eyes at the phone, but she knew that X was right. "He's in love with you." It was obvious, everybody else saw it, was X that blind?

With a huff Christina laid back on her bed. "Well, I'm not in love with him."

"Bullshit. You are so…you're sprung." Britain said laughing.

"Just because he can bend me like a pretzel and have me speaking in tongues, that does not make it love…it makes him a great lay. That's it…all we have is sex." It was lie, but sounded good to her. She needed to believe that so she wouldn't get too close to John. "Besides, every time we seem to start getting close, he does this dumb shit. It's like he's always frontin' for his boys. I don't have time the drama."

"Make time." Britain had her fill of X's excuses. "You're in love so stop denying it. Denial's not just a river in Egypt, ya know? Let him in honey, it doesn't have to be bad. If I could get through the shit I've been through and learn to love Dave, which is the best thing that has ever happened to me, you can too. It's been 12 years, Miklo's dead…he's not coming back. He would want you to be happy."

A small sniffle came across the line as X thought of him. He was a beautiful man, with sandy brown hair and deep blue eyes. He was a guerro, a white boy, that's what you called a Chicano that looked white. They called him Milkweed, because he was so fair. But he and X made a beautiful couple. She didn't look anymore Latin than he did. Not with long blonde hair and brown eyes. She really didn't look that different from the other Cuban's in her family, but him? He was Mexican, a white Mexican…he took shit all his life. But that's why she loved him, because no matter what he went through he was still the most patient, loving man she had ever known.

"I wish he would. I miss him Brit." She said quietly.

"I know…I do too. But John's a good guy. You owe it to yourself to give him a chance."

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Dave lifted the glass of Gin and Tonic to his lips and tried not to laugh as he swallowed. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten drunk, but today seemed as good as any.

His jog was nice; he came back and took a nice shower. Hell, he even took Britain to the fucking mall. If there was one thing he hated, it was the mall. Sometimes, he just wanted to blend in, just be regular. But when you stand at 6'5", your muscles have muscles and sex just oozes from your pores, it's a little hard to just blend. Not to mention when you have a model on your arm…if he wasn't getting attention from the 10-25 year old male demographic for being a wrestler, then it was the 13-35 year old women drooling over him because he was fine and then there were the 16-65 year old men wanting to jump his wife's bones. He was amazed that she seemed so oblivious to it all. But he grinned and bared it, just because it was something she wanted to do.

After the mall, they had dinner. Britain didn't want to come out and have a drink with him. She wanted to go to sleep; he wanted to talk. After laying with her for about an hour, he got out of the bed and went to the bar. It just so happened that Rebecca was already sitting there alone. And now he sat at the bar, drinking and laughing with Rebecca.

"Do you know how hard that is? Especially when it's like two degrees in the studio. In between every shot, I had them turn the heat up. It was so bad." She laughed as she recounted her Playboy shoot to him.

He remembered that spread, all too well. Especially the picture with her standing in the tan room in front of the French doors, wearing the see-through pink top and nothing else and the one in the same outfit showing her from behind. She had that look in her eyes…the look that he recalled over and over again in the shower the night and had released himself to it.

"But the pictures turned out great, even though on a few I look like a deer caught in headlights. I still think they look great." She finished motioning for the bar tender to bring them another round.

"I didn't think you looked like a deer…I thought you looked good." Dave replied nodding.

She turned her head and looked at him surprised. "You saw the spread? Oh my God…ok, tell me honestly, you didn't notice that I made the same face in all of the pictures?"

Dave swatted his hand at her. "I really wasn't looking at your face." He said laughing.

Rebecca too found that amusing and she draped her arm over his shoulder and laughed close to him.

Dave looked over to his right and saw a sight that took his breath away. Britain was standing there, wearing snoopy pajama pants and a tank top. Her long hair was down, looking like a wavy curtain of ebony around her head. No matter how many drinks he had, and he had lost count a long time ago, she was still breathtaking. "Hey baby. You gonna join us?" He asked with a drunken slur.

Shaking her head, Britain walked closer to the table. "I think you've had enough for both of us." She said taking his glass and sniffing it. She made a face as she sat the glass back on the table.

"My baby's a model, too. I told you that, right?" He asked Rebecca. Then he turned to Britain, "You know Bex's posed in Playboy? You should pose nude, too; you're fucking hot." He couldn't help the stupid grin on his face, or his eyes that were almost closed from smiling at the thought.

"He's right, you're beautiful. I bet you'd make centerfold." Rebecca said with her own drunken smile.

"Well, we can't all pose naked for the world to see." Britain said with a fake smile to Rebecca. "Dave, you have plenty of naked pictures of me."

He nodded. She was right; he had lock box full of them. "You should have some drinks with us. Then when we get upstairs, we can have a lot of drunk sex."

She leaned over and rubbed her hand down the center of his chest. "If you come upstairs, _you_ can still have drunk sex." It wasn't the first time she used sex to get her way, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

With the offer on the table, he turned to Rebecca. "I gotta go. I'm gonna go fuck my wife." He threw some bills down on the table and stumbled over the chair. Laughing he said goodnight and put his arm around Britain to take her back upstairs. Whether he was holding on to her for his own balance or to ensure that she didn't forget that she had promised him drunken sex, remained to be seen.

By the time they made it to the room, he was all over her. Wet, sloppy kisses assaulted her face and neck as he tried his inebriated best to get her aroused. Britain stood against the wall and let him slobber over her. Drunk Dave was not sexy. Drunk Dave was 315 pounds of uncoordinated horny man, that was destined to pass out before he even got it in.

"Why don't you get on the bed and get naked…and I'll put on the nightgown you bought me today." She said giving him her best sexy voice.

With a smile, he stumbled his way to the bed, fighting with his shoes to take them off. With a flop, he landed on the bed and watched the ceiling spin over top of him. "Okay. I'll be right here." He said closing his eyes, just to get enough strength together to pull off his pants.

Britain stood in the doorway of the bathroom and laughed. She had no intention of getting "ready" for him. He would be asleep in a matter of minutes. Fumbling around in the bathroom, she managed to brush her hair, put it in a ponytail, brush her teeth, and floss really well before she opened the door. Just like she thought, he was passed out, pants halfway down, laying on his back…snoring.

She shook her head as she went to pull his pants off the rest of the way. The slight jarring made him open his eyes. "Babe?"

"Yeah?" She answered with a grunt, struggling to pull his pants from under his heavy legs.

"Why can't you get pregnant?" It had been bothering him all day. He wanted to know, but she didn't want to tell him.

She looked at him and shrugged. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Okay. I just wanna know why. I mean, it's okay if we can't, " He continued as his eyes closed again. "But, I really want to."


	9. Nothing Else Matters

**Author's Note:** _Let me start first by saying, I appreciate EVERY reveiw I get, whether it be good, bad or indifferent. You encourage me to get better with each chapter I post. Having said that...it has come to my attention that some people do not like the hint that something may happen with Dave and Rebecca. I would like to address that topic: First, I subscribe to online wrestling newsletters and it's no secret that Dave is dating Rebecca in real life (he's the one that got her the gig on ECW...I don't like her; but that's beside the point). Anyway, I thought it would be interesting to play that angle. I am not trying to turn people off from the story, but if you read my profile or the summary for this story, it says (infertility, INFEDELITY, and injury will threaten people). I have tried to make that clear before I started this story. The issue is not whether or not this character will cheat...the issue is how do people that are madly in love with each other deal with a mistake? I want these characters to have real personality traits. We can't all be alter servers. People screw up everyday, it's how you deal with it, that's important. If you can't handle this subject matter, then you should stop now; no harm no foul. If you don't like this angle, you **really** are gonna be pissed with Jeff and Chase..._

_I hope I haven't offened anyone...I'm off my soap box. Please review about the chapter or the story, not my creative license._

_This chapter's light...the drama will start with the next one. With that; enjoy!_

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Nothing Else Matters

Chase could feel something crawling on the back of her neck, but she was too locked in her dream world to bother caring. A swift swat of her hand near the offending object, which she assumed was her hair, put a brief end to that. _Stupid ceiling fan, _she thought as she rolled slightly and nuzzled her head deeper into Jeff's pillow.

She loved that pillow and not because it was the really fluffy body pillow, but because it smelled like Jeff and Salon Selectives; that's the shampoo and conditioner he always used. Not really a masculine shampoo, but hell, it smelled like fruits and berries…a smell that she had grown accustomed to.

Just as she felt herself drift back into the wonderful REM sleep that she had just come out of, there was the annoying tickle again. This time, she wasn't taking chances; she lifted her head from the pillow and pulled all of her long blonde hair up over her head so it hung over on the headboard. Slamming her head back down in annoyance, she tried her best to continue sleeping.

Suddenly a thought struck her…_what if it's a bug?_ Oh God, if it was she was sure she was going to die. Jeff killed the bugs; that's just how it was. It could be a huge hairy spider or worse a camel cricket. It seemed like for some reason during the fall and early winter months they had gotten an invasion of those ugly beasts. Chase blamed all the damn woods surrounding Jeff's house. He of course thought they were cute and started a collection of them; giving each one names.

Grabbing at the back of her neck, afraid to open her eyes to see what she was clutching, she turned her head slightly. Then she felt warm fingers trace her neck followed by warm peppermint breath and a soft kiss.

She opened one eye to see the green and blonde haired love of her life smiling at her. "Hey." She said softly desperately trying to get her eyes to focus.

"Hey baby." He replied quietly leaning his head down to kiss her lips. "What are you doin' sleepin' the day away?"

She rolled her body over so that she now faced Jeff and snuggled up to him. "I was waiting up for you."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm home... now you can go to sleep." He said with a hint of laughter in his voice. He looked over at the _new _clock, it was only two o'clock. Why would she be sleeping in the middle of the afternoon, especially since he hadn't been home in three and a half weeks? It really wasn't how he had pictured their reunion. His image had involved a lot less clothing and a lot of sweating.

He ran his hand down her arm causing her to look up at him. "I don't feel so good." She said quietly, closing her eyes again.

Jeff instantly went into panic mode. Chase didn't get sick, unlike him who would catch a cold if there was a breeze blowing in Guam. He put the back of his hand to her head and checked for a fever. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired…and I think your dad's trying to kill me." She said softly. "I went over there today and he cooked breakfast for me…I've been sick as a dog all day."

Jeff laughed. "Now you know why me Matt were so skinny as kids. Daddy ain't the best cook in town." Jeff laid down full on the bed and pulled the covers up on him and Chase. "You can't get sick, baby. I been workin' my ass off, doin' all three shows, so I could get another week off and take you to Cancun."

Chase sighed and put her arm around Jeff's body. "I know. I'll feel better later on." Losing the battle with sleep, she felt herself drifting off. "I'm glad you're home."

With a kiss to her forehead, Jeff closed his arms around her. "You missed your papa bear?" He looked down at her still body and smiled. "I missed you, too."

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Dave watched as Britain threatened to polish the wood off of the banisters. It was something she always did; when she was scared, she cleaned. He sat on the couch, because he was given strict orders by her not to move and get in her way. He was getting dizzy watching her move from dusting, to vacuuming and now polishing. The house wasn't even that dirty to begin with. If any piece of dust thought that it stood a chance at survival in that house, it obviously hadn't met his Britain.

The smell of Pine Sol tickled his nose, but he was afraid to sneeze. If he did, that would mean that she would have to polish the coffee table again. He had already caught heat from daring to sit a water bottle on that table after she had shined it, so well in fact that it made his bald head look like Mr. Clean in the reflection.

Britain was totally oblivious to it all. She continued to clean, listening to her iPod, singing along loudly to Avenge Sevenfold. Every once in a while, she would look over at him and give him a disapproving shake of her head if he even looked like he was going to rest his big feet on that coffee table.

The sudden ring of the door bell, made Britain look up. Removing her earphones, she held up her hand. "I'll get it. You're gonna mess up my vacuum lines." As she opened the door she let out a high pitched squeal. "Vati!"

Britain jumped in her father's arm and buried her head against his shoulder. "What took you so long? Where's Ma?" She asked looking around her father.

"Your mazer is fussing over your garden. She says there's too much sun for the plants." Johan Weis said with a laugh. "How's my girl?"

Dave smiled at the two of them. It was amazing to him how Britain would instantly turn back into a five year old when she was around her father. Tiptoeing through the vacuum lines, Dave made it to the door to great his in-laws. "Johan, good to see you." He said stretching out his hand.

"David…the hair is gone?" Johan replied.

Dave ran his hand over his bald head and smiled. "It's killing me. I hate his hair like that. I think he's doing it to punish me." Britain replied laughing.

"Punish my Britannien? My angel girl? Never." Johan smiled, carrying his bags in the house.

"An angel? You sure we know the same Britain?" Dave asked with a smile putting his arm around her. As her father sat down, Dave looked at Britain confused. "How come he gets to walk across the vacuum lines?"

"Because he's my Daddy. When you become my Daddy, I'll let you walk on my freshly vacuumed floor, too."

Just as she started to walk out the door to find her mother, Dave pulled her close to his body. "I thought I _was_ your daddy…that's what you were calling me that last night. Does that count?"

Britain smiled at up at him. "_That_ is my daddy. _You_ are my papi…besides, you're gonna have to work harder than that to get me to call you daddy." And with a swift pat to his backside, she ran out of the house to find her Ma.

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Jeff laid on the bed, flipping through the channels. Giving up on finding anything to watch, he turned off the TV. "You think we should call Britain? She's havin' surgery tomorrow."

Chase looked up from her book and put her glasses on the night table. "I don't know. My dad said that her folks were flying in and they would be going out to dinner tonight. They're probably not home yet."

As Jeff turned to his side, he heard the crumbling of papers under him. He rolled slightly to pull out the papers, but not before he noticed a big, fat, red F on the one labeled, _Test #3_.

Bringing his brows together, Jeff held the paper up to Chase's face. "What is this?" He sounded like parent scolding his child. "Why is there an F on your test?"

Chase felt like a scolded child. Shrieking away, she took the paper from his hand and shrugged her shoulders. "It was just one test, Jeff. I'll make it up."

"Oh no. There's no such thing as just one test." He said in that drawl that drove Chase crazy. "Your dad'll fuckin' kill me if he knew you failed a test."

She put the paper in her notebook and looked over at him. "Well we won't tell him."

Jeff thought about for a minute and then he knew what he had to do. "That's it…you're grounded." He nodded his head for effect, causing Chase to laugh at him.

"I'm what?"

"You, young lady, are grounded. No TV, no phone, no goin' out. You need to study and the punishment doesn't stop until you can pull up your grades." With a satisfied smile, he laid back on the pillows and closed his eyes.

If he said he didn't like this new found power, he'd be a damn lie. Although he sure at any minute he was going to be smothered by Chase, he couldn't help but to live in the moment. He was exercising authority, something that he didn't have in _his_ house. When she moved in, she got rid of his old tattered couch…the one he had since he had his first apartment. _She _was the one that decorated everything in girly pastels and had fresh flowers all over the place. And though he had surrendered his power to her willingly then, it felt damn good to exercise it now.

Chase looked at him for a moment then nodded. Carefully, she placed her books on the floor and laid next to him. She let her hand reach out and touch his chest softly. "Jeff?" She said in a sweet voice. "You're not _really_ grounding me, are you?"

"Uh-huh." He said still smiling and not opening his eyes. He felt her hand make circular motions on him before they found the hem of his t-shirt. Grabbing her wrist, he opened his eyes. "No you don't. You're grounded from that, too. No lovin' until you study."

Chase rolled over and folded her arms across her chest. With a pout on her face she stomped her feet on the bed. "You are so mean. I don't wanna be your girlfriend anymore."

Jeff looked over at her and laughed. "Well, if someone took school a little more seriously, then she wouldn't be in trouble now."

Chase looked at him and smiled. She nuzzled up to his neck and softly kissed it, trailing the kisses upward to his ear. She traced her tongue along his jaw line, and made it over to his chin.

"I'm not gonna kiss you, Chase." Jeff said determined.

"I know and you shouldn't." She said absently before closing her lips over his. With a gentle pressure, she forced her tongue inside his mouth, intoxicating him with her kiss. Before he knew it his hands found the back of her head as he wound her hair between his fingers.

Taking his free hand, she trailed it down her side and up her t-shirt. "I'm not goin' touch you, either." Jeff said with a little less conviction.

"You can't…you're teaching me a lesson. I know this is for my own good." Those psychology classes were paying off, big time. As she guided his hand to her breast, she felt him massage her while she continued to kiss him.

Somehow, Jeff lost control. He was the one that had the authority, but damn her for taking it back. She managed to roll them so he was on top of her. She moved his hand from up her shirt and sat up so she could remove it. Laying back down, she took his hand again and trailed it down her body.

"And I certainly am not gonna put my hand down there." Jeff said in a breathy voice. It was his last effort at maintaining the situation.

"You can't…I'm grounded. I wouldn't expect anything less from you." She whispered and then a sharp gasp escaped her as soon as his hand made contact.

Before either of them could figure out that Chase had gotten her way, yet again, they were both out of all of their clothes struggling for power in that bed. Chase laid on top of Jeff and trailed kisses down his chest, licked down his stomach and smiled, just before her tongue contacted with his heightened arousal.

"You cheated. I'm gonna tell your dad…" He said before closing his eyes.

With a coy smile, she looked up at him. "If you do, this'll be the _last_ time, I will _ever_ do this to you."

No more words, no more threats…Jeff was utterly defeated. He lost his battle as soon as her mouth closed down around him. All he could concentrate on was the warmth. God he loved her…everything about her. She always made him forget just how much of fuck up he really was. But she didn't need him to be her superhero…she just needed him to be her Jeff.

Before it got to the point that he couldn't take it any longer, he pulled her up and attacked her lips. It had been 3 ½ weeks, since he was with her and he didn't want to wait another minute. Rolling her so he was on top. "You still feelin' sick?" He asked with concern.

"No. I'm fine." She whispered pulling him back on top of her.

When he reached over to his side of the bed and grabbed his jeans, she looked confused, but smiled when he pulled out a condom. "You don't need that." She said taking it from his hand.

"But you're not on anything." He reminded her.

"I called my doctor and he faxed me a prescription. I started taking the pills again last week."

Jeff rubbed his thumb over her lips. "You can't just take 'em like that, can you?"

Chase shrugged. _Who the hell really cares? I sure as hell don't right now._ "I was supposed to wait until I got my period, but I knew you were coming home. It's fine…really."

"You sure?" He asked again.

She nodded and that's all the incentive he needed. Almost a month of waiting was over and both of them were glad of that. "I love you." He said as he kissed her again, as he started a gentle rhythm that her body instantly responded to.

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"So we'll see you in the morning." Mia Weis said to her daughter, before she walked around the table and kissed Dave on the cheek.

"How come he gets a kiss and I don't?" Britain asked her mother pouting.

"Because he's cute and you're not." Mia answered with a smile.

Johan got up too and kissed Britain, causing her to smile. "You are cute to me."

"Guten nacht, Vati." She said as she watched them walk up the steps.

Dave took her hand causing her to look back at him. "You sure you're okay with this?" She nodded, but he could tell she wasn't. He stood up and led her by the hand to their bedroom.

"So I'll be home until Thursday, but I'll be back on Tuesday." He reminded her as they settled in bed.

"Davey, I know. My parents are here and they will take care of me. Besides, Monique said I'll need about a week, two at the most. I'll be fine." Britain hoped that she sounded more convincing to him than she did to herself.

He settled back on the pillows and pulled her on top of him. He stared out the large window in their bedroom, noticing how the trees blew in the breeze. "You scared?"

"Of what, dying? People have surgery all the time…besides, if I died who would take care of you and the girls? They'd kill each other and you'd go insane because you're so unorganized." She laughed as she patted her hand on his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

Dave let out a nervous laugh. A complication from surgery was one thought that he refused to let in his mind. "I mean are you scared that it won't work?"

"Yeah." She admitted quietly.

He tightened his grip around her body and sighed. "It's just the first thing we're trying. If this doesn't work we'll just try something else." He couldn't help his optimism. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever see them without children of their own. She was going to get pregnant, he was sure of it.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" She asked looking up at him.

He gave her the smile at always made her heart flutter. "You were a good girl, you always said your prayers and you ate all your vegetables." He gently flicked her nose, causing her to laugh. "I love you."

When she kissed him, everything about the surgery, the infertility, Maddy sneaking in all hours of the night when he was on the road; went away. Nothing mattered but them.

The soft laugh that came from her throat as his lips tickled her stomach made Monique's words ring loud in her ears. "We can't." She whispered in a hurried voice. "No sex 24 hours before surgery…remember?"

"Fuck them. They can't tell me I can't make love to my wife." He replied, still trailing his kisses lower and lower.

She tried to protest, but what was the point? Her husband wanted to show her how much he loved her and no one was going to stop that.


	10. It's Not Adding Up

_Author's note: I would like to thank you guys for your encouraging reviews. You guys rock, but there are some people (who have PM'd me) that don't really share your confidence in where I'm headed with this story. After re-reading my message on the last chapter, I thought I gave too much away; but there are a few surprises that I didn't spill, so I'm good with it...just think of that as a spoiler._

_I know I just updated yesterday, but this story is finally flowing from me. It's taken awhile to get the juices flowing. I know where I wanted it to go, but it's conbinding the chapters so it makes sense that's the problem. Anyway, I'm dying to write this scene that happens later, so I guess I should get moving. _

_Be Easy!_

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It's Not Adding Up

Dave squeezed Britain's hand as the nurse stuck the IV in her other one. It would only be few more minutes, they told him, before she would be feeling the effects of the drugs to calm her nerves. He looked over at her and gave her a brave smile. He couldn't believe that she was willing to do this for him…she loved him that much. She was willing to risk surgery, which could possibly lead to a hysterectomy just to try to have _his_ child.

"You want your parents to come in?" He asked softly, trying not to laugh as her eyes lids started to make long dramatic blinks.

She shook her head. "I just want to hold your hand." She slurred. "Did I ever tell you, that you're really cute?" The drugs were working…a little too well. "I always thought you had the most beautiful face."

"I'm not beautiful." Dave tried to control his blush. "My eyes are too small and my ears are big."

Britain knitted her brows. "Your part Asian, honey. You can't help that your eyes are small, but I like the little slant in them. And you're old…all old men have big ears…but I like them." She sang. "The first time I saw you, I wanted to nail you."

Dave laughed. "Well if I recall correctly, you did."

"But not that day…" She said closing her eyes for a moment. "But I would have…didn't want you to think I was easy…"

"Two days later…but who's counting?" He asked quietly as he leaned over to kiss her softly.

The nurse in the room smiled at the couple. She really wasn't trying to be all up in their business, but she couldn't help it. Mrs. Batista was high as a kite, and the truth was just spilling out of her.

"You know what? I miss your tongue ring." She admitted. "And I fucking hate your hair like that."

He laughed whole heartedly. So she had lied about the hair…not that she didn't drop subtle hints about it. But when he initially shaved it, she said it was sexy, it was not until he kept shaving it, did she start to comment.

Dave looked up at the nurse, who checked Britain's vitals. She nodded to him and then went to release the breaks from her hospital bed. He watched as another orderly walked into the room and started to help her roll the bed from where it was positioned. He stood up, still holding her hand and walked with her to the door. "You're gonna be fine." He whispered close to her ear.

"Be here when I wake up?" She asked with her eyes closed, trying not to give into the sleep that was gnawing in the back of her mind.

He felt his eyes tear, "I promise." He kissed her softly on her lips.

"I love you." She whispered before giving in. Dave stood by and watched as they took the love of his life down the hall and through doors that he knew he could not follow. He could only pray that this doctor working with Monique knew what the hell he was doing. Because if anything happened to her, that was his ass.

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Jeff woke up to the musical sounds of Chase throwing up. Looking out the window, he noticed it was still dark out. _God, it can't be more than six o'clock. _With a huff, he threw the covers off and walked into the bathroom.

Chase looked like shit. She had a green tent to her normally tan skin, her eyes were sunken in with black circles under them; if he didn't know any better, he would swear she was dying.

"Baby…you okay?" He asked sitting on the side of the tub, rubbing her back.

She tried to answer, but whatever was left in her stomach came up instead. "I'm not taking those stupid pills ever again." She swore as she sunk down to her knees and clutched her stomach. She had only ever had one hang over before and whatever this bug was, it was ten times worse.

"You wanna go to the doctor?" He asked trying to keep from yawning.

She shook her head. "I want to lay back down." She said weakly.

Jeff patted her mouth and her head with a cool cloth, then picked her up off the floor and carried her to the bed. "When's the last time you ate?" He always worried about her taking care of herself when he wasn't there. Usually she would be so busy studying that she would just forget. He couldn't help but to think that was what was wrong with her now.

"Your dad…food poisoning from hell." She said as she rested against his pillow.

Jeff stretched and rubbed his eyes. "I'm gonna fix you some toast and tea. Be back in a minute." He watched as she nodded silently and then drifted back to sleep.

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Dave sat in the waiting room with Britain's parents. No one was really talking about anything; they all had the same thing on their mind. _They said this should only take about an hour. She's been in there for damn near three hours. What the fuck is taking so long?_ Just as he was about to get up _again_ to ask the nurses if they could check to see what was going on, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Without looking at the number, he opened the phone. "This is Dave." He said in an annoyed tone.

"Hey…it's Bex. I was just wondering how your wife's surgery went." She said with a concerned voice.

Dave turned to his in-laws and pointed to his phone and then to the door. When he got outside, he let out a sigh. "I don't know; she's still in there."

He couldn't explain their friendship. It was just one of those, make friends in the most unlikely of places things. He found her extremely easy to talk to and she made him laugh. Hell, he hadn't even divulged most of the things he and Britain were going through to Randy or John…then again, he doubted if they would be interested. John had all of his X drama and Randy…who knows what Randy was doing. But Rebecca was always there; now maybe it had something to do with her not really knowing anyone else at Raw. Needless to say, over the last few weeks, they had started hanging out a lot.

"I thought you said it was supposed to be a routine surgery." She voice was full of concern, for _him._

He ran his hand across the stubble on top of his head. "It was supposed to be. I don't know what taking so long."

The one blessing and curse about living in Tampa was that half of the roster did, too. Maybe because the only other thing in Tampa was old people, so they didn't get mauled when they did everyday things. "You want some company? I got nothing to do today."

"Thanks, but my in-laws are here and I'm sitting with them." He looked through the glass doors and noticed the doctor walking over to Johan and Mia. "The doctor's here, I gotta go."

She sighed on the other end of the phone. "Call me if you need to talk."

As he made his way to the doctor, his fear quickly turned to rage. _How dare you keep her back there and not tell me what the fuck is going on, _he said to himself. But when he spoke he was calm. "How is she?"

Dr. Matthews removed the paper hat from his head. "It took longer than we expected, but she did well. I don't know if it worked, but we were able to get most of the scar tissue…Mr. Batista, can I talk to you in private."

Dave looked at Johan's face and knew exactly how he felt. If it was one of his girls, he would want to know everything. "You can talk to me here. Her parents have the right to know what's up."

Dr. Matthews took a seat and looked at Dave. "I don't think that her uterus is going to be strong enough to carry a child. We had to cut a lot of the tissue on the outside to get the scar tissue away. If all of this was from her previous surgery…there's no telling how she'll heal from this one."

Dave's mind came to a screeching halt. "What previous surgery?" He asked incredulously. They talked about everything, she never once told him about a random surgery before.

Dr. Matthews looked at Dave and then her parents. "The surgery to correct the puncture in her uterus and the damage to her tube. Am I missing something?"

"No." Mia answered. "That was years ago. But there weren't supposed to be any complications from that."

Dave looked even more confused than before. All he wanted was for someone to tell him what the fuck was going on. "Can I see her?" He asked rudely.

"We'll come to get you once we have her settled in her room. She woke up from the anesthesia, but she's still pretty out of it. It shouldn't be long." The doctor said before extending his hand toward Dave. "If there are no complications, she'll be able to go home tomorrow. I'll need to see her in two weeks and we can plan your fertility course from there."

Dave shook his hand and watched as he walked away. Before he had a chance to speak, Mia touched his arm. He looked down at her and his heart dropped. Britain looked so much like her mother. All he wanted to do was see her with his own eyes and make sure she was alright.

"Come…we get coffee." Johan said to Dave, patting him on the shoulder. He knew that someone should fill him in on what the doctor was talking about.

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By one o'clock, Jeff had heard just about enough of Chase vomiting for a life time. This had to stop. "Ok, that's it…we're going to the doctor."

"No. I'm fine. I just have the flu or something. Besides, they're gonna make me sit in there forever just to tell me to drink fluids when I get home." She whined crawling back toward the bed.

"Do you know anybody that's sick?" Detective Jeff was on the case. He knitted his brows when she shook her head. "When'd you start feeling like this?"

"I don't know." The sound of his voice was grating on her nerves. All she wanted to do was to sleep. "About two weeks."

"Jesus, Chase…you been sick that long and you just tellin' me 'bout it? Anything could be wrong with you."

Chase waved her hand. "It's probably the damn pills. That's why I stopped taking them before, remember?"

Suddenly Jeff had an idea. "When was last time you got your period?"

"I don't know Jeff." She whined louder. She wasn't about to go and find a calendar to find out either. "What's with all the questions? Just let me die in peace." Chase was annoyed; a side of her that Jeff knew to leave the hell alone.

But this was important. He remembered that first day in Austria…before they _both_ ventured out of the bedroom in Britain's grandmother's house. It wasn't until they started site-seeing, that they went to a store and bought condoms. But they had only done it twice that day, without any protection…and he was careful; at least he thought he was. Then it was that day in Italy under the stars…he was careful then too, right? And that time at Dave's house…but they didn't finish…

"Chase, baby…you think you might be pregnant?" He asked almost afraid to do so.

She looked at him like he had just sprouted a third eye. "I'm on the Pill, remember?" She said before she slammed her head back to the pillow.

"But you weren't when we went away." He said quietly.

"I'm not pregnant Jeff. Can't you go find Matt or something? I'm tired, I don't feel well…I just want to sleep."

He sighed and rubbed her back. "Okay. I'm gonna run to the store and get you some Ginger Ale. I'll be back in few minutes." He leaned over and kissed her blonde hair before leaving the room.

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"She never told me about that." Dave said to Johan as they drank the nasty hospital coffee.

Johan shrugged. "She never talks about it. It was an accident…she had so many bruises. Maybe she doesn't talk about it because it's too painful." He reassured Dave.

Dave shrugged. "But why? It was a car accident, right. It wasn't her fault." Something just wasn't adding up. And he intended to find out why.

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Mia sat next to Britain and watched as she fought back the tears. The doctor had explained to her that he didn't think that this surgery was going to change her prognosis. She reached out and grabbed her baby's hand and held it close to her heart. "Baby, it'll be ok. I know it will." Mia reassured her. "It was just an unfortunate event that happened before and now we know there were some complications."

Britain felt like her head was going to explode. "It was a lie Ma." The medication hadn't completely worn off and the truth was still rolling off her tongue faster than she could stop it. "There wasn't an accident."

"I know baby."

Britain looked at her mother's eyes and she knew from that moment, that she had always known. "You knew? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Mia shook her head. It wasn't her place to pry; besides, she didn't really know, but she had her suspicions. "Would you have left him if I told you what I thought happened? You thought you were so in love."

"And now Dave's gonna leave me, because I can't have a baby. What do I do?" She cried feeling her mother's arms encircle her.

Mia rocked her daughter just as she did when she was a child. "You start by telling your husband the truth. This effects him too."

"I'm sorry, Ma. I never wanted you to be disappointed in me." Britain whispered. "Oh God, does Vati know?" She felt herself panic.

"I don't think so. He would believe you if you said the moon was made out of cottage cheese. You can do no wrong his eyes. I still don't know it all, but I trust that when you can, you'll talk to me. I only hope that you talk to Dave first."

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Visiting hours were over, and Dave found himself standing outside the hospital thinking about everything that happened. What was Britain hiding? How was a car accident to blame for her having a punctured uterus and severed tube? She didn't have scars on her abdomen, not that a piece of twisted metal would make, so what really happened? All the hours he sat with her, when she was awake, she talked about random things…never the issue at hand.

She was getting better and better and pulling away from him. He didn't like, not one little bit. They had always been open with other, so why now did she feel the need to hide from him? And just like clockwork, his phone rang again. He looked at the caller ID and answered. "You wanna go out for a drink? I need to talk." He said into the receiver.

He was relieved, when he heard Rebecca's voice, answer, _yes._

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"Please? Just take it and if it's negative then we know you got some kinda bug or somethin'." Jeff stood in the doorway of the bathroom pleading his case.

Chase glared up at him from her new favorite position on the floor in front of the toilet. "Jeff, leave me alone, please." She begged feeling the cheeseburger that she thought she felt well enough to eat make its way back up her throat.

"No dammit, somethin's wrong and I wanna know what it is. So you got two choices, either take the damn test, or get dressed and we're goin' to the emergency room." He demanded. It's not like Jeff raised his voice or cursed at Chase, but she was playing with her health and it was pissing me off. "If you're sick, you need to be some medicine so you'll feel better by the time we go away."

Chase flushed the toilet and angrily walked over to Jeff and snatched the test out of his hand. All she wanted to do was throw up, crawl back in bed, sleep and then she'd feel better; but no, Jeff had to have his mind set on something. "Fine."

He watched as the door closed in front of his face. He nervously sat on the bed, undoing his braids. _She's pregnant; oh shit…I got her pregnant. She's gonna kill me…DAVE's gonna fuckin' kill me. _He walked over to his dresser and pulled out the ring that he had been meaning to give her for the longest time. _If she's pregnant, I'm gonna ask her. This is I want; I want to marry her and have a family with her. Nero, what the fuck did you do?_

Chase emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and crawled back in the bed. Jeff looked at her confused. "Well?"

Without opening her eyes, she waved her hand. "This is your bright idea, you check it. Me and my flu are going to take a nap."

Swallowing hard, he walked in the bathroom and looked at the stick. He checked the box and then the stick again. He read the directions and looked at the stick. He held the stick up to the light and then back down in the corner where it was dark. He clicked off the bathroom light and walked back in the bedroom. "We're callin' the doctor."


	11. Unexpected Guests

_Author's Note: Thing in my brain are finally churning, so the updates are coming fast. Because so many of you wanted to know what was up with Chase, I decided to put it in this chapter instead of dragging it out for another few. Also, the girl's name is Ave as in Ave Maria, not as in Avenue. Because there are no accent marks in Ave, I just wanted to make that clear. _

_I'm interested in your feedback on this one. And for those wondering what's up w/ Britain and her secret, it'll come out soon...slowly over the next few chapters._

_I'm so glad you're enjoying it, hopefully as much as Perfect. Be warned, the rides getting bumpier..._

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Unexpected Guests

Jeff sat in the chair next to the examination table that Chase had fallen asleep on. They had already been at the Urgent Care part of the Johnston Memorial Hospital for a little over three hours. Chase had been right about one thing…they did make her wait for what seemed like forever. Although the doctor was quick to come in the room, the tests they were running took forever. If the lab was in the hospital, then why the hell was it taking so long?

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He just wished that the doctor would have told him what that pregnancy test said. The directions on the box said _'a blue line in the second window is positive._' Well, there was a sort of faint, hardly visible fuchsia speck…but what did that mean?

Just as Jeff leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes, he heard the door open. Bolting straight up in his chair he locked eyes with the doc. The doctorgreeted Jeff with a bright smile, before he walked over to Chase and gently tapped her shoulder.

"Ms. Batista, we got your blood work back." He said softly, causing Chase to open her eyes and look at him blankly.

Chase nodded. "Tell him I have the flu." She said directed at Jeff. She could have been in their nice warm bed; instead of on this hard ass table…Jeff was going to be so dead when she was feeling better.

Jeff was on pins and needles, he wrenched his already sweaty palms together again and he looked directly at the doctor. "So?"

Opening the chart, the young doctor sat down on the little stool on wheels. "Well there are a couple of things going on." He flipped passed a few pages and read. "You are severely dehydrated…that could account for your lethargy. And you're pregnant, so now we know why you've been so nauseous lately."

There was a deafening silence in the room. She _was _pregnant; Jeff couldn't help but to feel a range of 400 emotions run through his body all at one time. But no matter what his insides were doing, a smile that made his face split in two crossed his lips. It was all he could not, not to jump up on the table and do that stupid Jeff Hardy dance.

"What?" Chase asked looking at the man sitting on the stool. "I'm not pregnant…I'm on the Pill."

"That's what I'm concerned about." The doctor replied. "I paged the OB/GYN and she should be here in a few minutes."

Jeff panicked. "What's wrong? Is Chase ok? Is the baby ok?" The baby…he couldn't believe those words just came from his lips. The baby!

"We're gonna have her examined by the OB, but I'm worried because she was takin' birth control while she was already pregnant; that could be very dangerous. Birth control alters the way your hormones make natural preparations for fertilization. And by you already being pregnant, I just want to make sure that your baby hasn't been harmed in any way." As soon as he finished the OB walked in the room. "This is Dr. Lee. She's the OB on call here. I'll come visit again after I get her notes and then y'all can go home."

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X ran to her front door, after successfully trying to ignore it. As soon as she opened it, she wished she hadn't. She stood leaning up the frame, her eyes locked on the blue eyes staring back at her.

"What do you want?" She asked John. She tried her best to sound annoyed, but she actually glad to see him. She hadn't talked to him in over three weeks. She had gone to Puerto Rico and back and did he once call her and wish her a safe trip? No. Did he once call to apologize for being a dick? No. So why the hell was he darkening her doorstep now?

John shrugged and clinched the right side of his jaw, exposing his dimples. "I wanted to know if we could talk." He had rehearsed this all the way to California. He only had four days off, but he decided that he'd spend 8 of those hours on a plane and probably 48 hours being yelled at. That still left him with 40 hours of making up with her.

X looked around nervously. "This isn't a good time, John." She closed the door behind her and stepped out on the porch. "You just can't come barging in my house whenever you feel like it."

That was not the reaction he had hoped for. Instead of the apology that he had planned on giving, he felt his anger well up inside of him. "Why ain't it good? Is Carlito in there?" John walked past X on the porch and opened the door. To his surprise the only person there was a girl sitting on the couch painting her nails.

She turned around and looked at John, instantly dropping the nail wand in her hand. "Oh my God!" She shrieked.

John put his finger in his ear because the octave in which this girl screamed threatened to make his ears bleed. But never one to disappoint a fan, John flashed his smile and nodded at the little girl.

"Tía…tía!" She screamed, causing X to run in the house. "¡Oh mi dios, oh mi dios, oh mi dios!"

X couldn't help but to laugh. "Mi hija…this is John, John this is Ave."

Ave rounded the couch and stood in front of John. She didn't care that her half done pink toes were still stuck in the Styrofoam separators, or that her hair was still pinned up in twisty rollers, all she knew was she was standing face to face with John Cena.

John stuck out his hand and he swore that Ave was going to faint. "It's nice to meet you Ave." He said still giving her the smile.

On instinct she did the only thing she could think of, she waved her open palm in front of her face. To that John raised a brow and stood up straight and gave her his three finger solute. "You a Chain Gang solider?"

"Oh my God. I knew Tía Britain was married to Dave Batista, but you never told me you knew _him._" The swooning sound of her voice was the sweetest thing John had ever heard. "Are you staying for dinner? Cause, I'll be right back. I gotta change." Ave started up the stairs. "I don't normally look this…I'll be right back."

As they watched her go up the stairs, John could feel X's eyes on him. "I didn't know you were babysitting." He turned to her and softened his gaze. "I'm sorry."

"Of course you didn't know, you were too busy insinuating that I was in here fucking Carly. Me and Ave have plans, so I think you should leave." She walked back to the door and opened it. She really hoped that he would have left, that way she didn't have to explain anything else to him, but she knew by that look he was giving her it wasn't going to happen.

"She invited me to stay for dinner." He pointed in the direction of the stairs. "Look X, I'm sorry; it's just that you make me fuckin' crazy. What am I supposed to think? My girl would rather spend more time with my boy than with me."

"First, I'm not your girl. Second, who I hang out with is none of your business." She corrected. If he thought she would've gotten over their last conversation by now, he was so mistaken.

John walked over to her and gently put his hands on her hips. He leaned down and kissed her softly. "You ain't my girl no more?" He asked, followed by another soft kiss. "I'm still your man." His whisper sent a chill through her body. When he looked into her hazy brown eyes, he knew he had her. So his apology skills were unorthodox, but let it never be said that they weren't effective.

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The ride back to Cameron was quite to say the least; mainly because Chase was asleep in the car and Jeff was fucking losing his mind. He replayed the conversation over and over again in his head.

"_She's about 6 weeks pregnant."_ That put the conception when they were in Austria. "_But it's extremely dangerous to take birth control when you're pregnant. It can cause a spontaneous abortion. I want to do a sonogram just to make sure everything's ok."_

_Jeff looked at the screen and saw what looked to him like a peanut. It wasn't anything more than a little round ball in Chase's tummy; but it was his little round ball. He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "Thank you." He whispered to her. This was the scariest thing in the world to him, but he'd be lying if he didn't say he was ecstatic. "Is everything ok?"_

"_It looks like it. She has to start taking pre-natal vitamins, get plenty of rest until the morning sickness subsides. She needs to drink plenty of fluids and try to eat something light like toast or crackers if she starts feeling nauseas again; but the IV fluids should help with some of that. And you need to make an appointment with a regular OB as soon as possible."_

And now he drove home a happy man. He just wished he knew if she was as happy. She hadn't said _anything_ since they found out she was pregnant.

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"She's a cute kid." John said after they took Ave home. He couldn't stop grinning at the way she acted he was _her _boyfriend. As soon as they stepped into Perkin's Family Restaurant and heads started turning to look at him, Ave quickly wrapped both of her arms around John's and refused to leave his side. She held her head up a little higher, and smiled a little brighter.

"I think she's in love." X laughed. "Did you see that outfit she put on for you? You have so taken Justin Timberlake's place in her heart."

John was happy that she was at least talking to him again, even though nothing had really been solved. He still wanted to know what the deal with Carlito was and why X always seemed like she was hiding something. But for now, he had to just be happy with the fact that she was sitting next to him in the car, laughing.

As soon as they got to her house, she was all over him. He had hoped they would at least make it up to her bedroom, but he was good with the living room floor. For X to be such a small woman, she had amazing strength; she had him on the floor, out of his shirt and on his back before he even had a chance to stop her.

"I wanna talk, Ma." John said in between kisses. He couldn't believe that he was stopping this to fucking talk. "Chris…we need to talk." He said pushing her up into a seated position.

She looked at him, still touching his face. "I don't want to talk John. Every time we talk you fuck it up. This makes sense with us." She motioned her hand between the two of them. "This is what we have. It doesn't require a lot of talking."

He looked hurt. Is that all he was to her, a good time? He had given up so much for her…granted she didn't know any of it. But he had completely cut all the skanks out of his life. He stopped flirting with girls at the club; he stopped going to strip clubs all together. He even told the girls in certain cities had had an asterisk by their names in his cell phone that he was off the market. He did all of this for what? So she could sit there and tell them that all they had was sex? Fuck that.

"That's bullshit and you know it. We got a thing…I don't know what it is, but we always had it." He touched her cheek with his palm. "I love you."

It wasn't as hard to say as he thought. The world didn't open up and swallow him whole. He just told her that he was in love with her and nobody died. Now if he could just stop holding his breath waiting for her to return the sentiment, everything would be cool.

"I think you better go." She replied walking toward the door.

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Jeff sat on his front porch with Matt dying to tell someone the news. But he knew he had be careful around Matt. He had the tendency to be spoilsport. Matt was the practical one, not that anyone that didn't really know him could tell. But Matt was Jeff's inner voice. All those voices that tried to warn Jeff about something and he refused to listen too, always vocalized themselves through his older brother.

"Where's your girl?" Matt asked grabbing a beer from the cooler. It was a nice night, usually when he would come over in the evenings, Chase would be right out there with them.

Matt usually brought Ashley along too, so Chase would have someone besides him and Jeff to talk to. She didn't have many friends in Cameron and he knew that Jeff worried about that. Maybe if the Hardy's didn't live out in the boonies, Chase would have more access to her friends. She had a few at school, but most of them were from Raleigh and really who wants to drive an hour to hang out with their friends? But now that Shannon and Crystal were separated and Matt and Ashley broke up, there were really no other girls around for Chase to hang with.

"She's in the house…she ain't feelin' good." Jeff said casually.

"I heard Daddy cooked for her. It's a wonder she's still alive." Matt laughed. "So what's up man? You wanna go do somethin'?"

Jeff thought of a cool way to work it in to the conversation, but Jeff usually acted on impulse. "I'm gonna be a daddy." He said smiling from ear to ear. It sounded so good to him; Jeff Hardy was going to be someone's daddy.

"Liger's havin' more puppies?" Matt asked as his sipped on his beer. "I thought you got him fixed." He remembered two summers ago, when Liger got out of the kennel. Half of the dogs in Cameron got a little visit from the stork, thanks to Liger.

Jeff looked confused. "What? No. Me and Chase. She's pregnant." If he could just stop his heart from racing every time he tried to say that she's pregnant it would make it easier. No matter how happy he was about it, it was always underlined in fear. What the fear was about was still a mystery, but he had a pretty good idea it was because he didn't know how Chase felt at all.

Matt dropped his beer and jumped up when the cold liquid hit his leg. "What?" He walked around the porch for a second and then stood in front of his little brother. "Jesus Jeff, why do you always do this? You don't think do you?" The look on Jeff's face at his reaction, made Matt feel like shit.

"I thought you'd be happy that you're gonna be an uncle. My bad." Jeff got up and walked in the house. Although he expected this reaction from Matt, he had hoped that just this once, he would be happy for him.

Matt followed behind Jeff and watched him as he rummaged through the fridge. "I ain't mean it like that. I just meant, y'all ain't been together that long. You barely got over all that shit with Dave before, and all that shit with her movin' down here. It finally seems like thing's are gettin' settled…now this. You know Dave's gonna have a heart attack."

Jeff slammed the refrigerator door closed. "I don't give a fuck what Dave has. This ain't about him. I love her and she loves me and we're havin' a baby. Where does Dave fit into that? If he don't like it, he ain't never gotta see my kid…and that goes for you too."

Matt stood in the kitchen alone, wondering how in the hell he could make Jeff understand what was about to happen.


	12. Dangerous Friendships Repost

**Repost...damn typos!**

Dangerous Friendships

Britain sat on the couch bored to tears. She had only been home from the hospital one day and she couldn't stand the idea of being confined to the couch. _Two weeks of this? This is bullshit._ In 24 hours, she had managed to catch up on General Hospital, read every magazine known to man and sleep; now she was just fucking bored.

And then there was Dave, he had promised to see Alli's championship basketball game, so he was out of the house. Admittedly, she was a little surprised that when she woke up during the night in the hospital he wasn't there. But then again, that little pull-out bed thingy that they had offered him was small. There was no way in hell he was going to fit in it. Still part of her had hoped that he would have at least tried.

All in all, things went all. She was in a lot of pain, but nothing like she expected. Now if she could only follow her post-op directions. Stay off her feet for two weeks, get plenty of rest, no lifting over five pounds and no sex until she was cleared by her doctor in her follow-up appointment. This time spent home convalescing was going to blow.

She lifted her head off the couch when she heard the front door close. She briefly saw Alli wave to her as she darted in toward the kitchen. "Did you win?" She asked from trying her best not to give in to the pain medicine.

Alli nodded her head as she downed a Gatorade. "Yeah. State championships are in two weeks. We're winning that too." She said with a smile. "How ya feeling?"

Britain shrugged and tried to lift herself to a seated position. Just as she peaked up, she saw Dave grinning as he walked into the living room. "Hey babe…guess what I picked up at the market?" He motioned his head behind him.

Britain's smile brightened when she met the sparkling blue eyes of Chris Jericho. "What, did they run out of Twinkies so you brought me back a Cupcake?" She winked at Chris when he smiled at her.

"I haven't been called that in years." He rounded the couch, lifting her feet so he could sit down and placed them on his lap. "How you feeling Buttercup? Dave told me that you had surgery, you ok?"

Britain nodded. "I feel good. Hurts a little, but its ok. How are you? Finally made it home, huh?"

"Yeah…Ash has a birthday this weekend and Jess is crazy with the twins. I kinda dropped everything to make sure I was there to help out with the big party. My little man's gonna be 4…can you believe it?"

Britain smiled lazily and shook her head. "_You _managed to keep something alive for four years. That's all Jess. If I remember, you were the same guy that had to replace his goldfish every week, because you kept forgetting to feed it."

Dave watched them from the kitchen and smiled. He was glad he had bumped into Jericho, especially since Britain seemed so out of it after leaving the hospital, not that he could blame her…with that much Demerol anyone would be out of it. But just watching how animated she was with Jericho and she was actually laughing, made him happy.

After he flipped through the mail, he reentered the living room. "Did you get one of these?" He asked Jericho waving an invitation. "It seems Bischoff's having some big book release party and he's inviting all of the guys from WCW, WWE and TNA that he use to work with."

Jericho nodded. "Yeah, it came the other day. What, you thinking about going?"

Dave shrugged and took a seat in his favorite leather recliner. "I don't know; it could be fun. I'd get to see some of the guys that I've lost touch with." He turned to Britain and handed her the invitation. "What do you think Babe? Should we go?"

Britain's entire demeanor changed. Without looking at the invite, she handed it back to Dave. "You go…I don't want to." She settled herself back down so she could lie down and pulled the blanket over her shoulders.

"Baby, it's not for another three weeks. You'll be back to normal by then. It'll be fun." He said trying to figure out what happened that quickly.

She looked at him with a steady gaze. "I don't want to go." It's not like stuttered the first time. "Besides, I gotta start working on this Mateo opening and Jeff and Chase flying in for it. I'll be too busy."

"That's not until the 20th. This party's the 15th. You'll still have plenty of time." He reasoned, but he quickly dropped the subject when she gave him _the look._

Jericho noticed the tension and spoke up. "Hey…could I get a something to drink?" He squeezed Britain's foot and smiled at her. As he watched Dave walk into the kitchen, he turned his attention back to her. "What's up Buttercup? What's with the attitude?"

Britain shrugged. "I just don't wanna go." She hated when she pouted, but right then she couldn't help it.

"You're afraid he'll be there?" He forced the answer out of her with his eyes. "You still haven't talked to Dave have you?" Jericho ran his fingers through his hair and let out a puff of air. "So, am I correct in assuming that's what this surgery was about?"

He could always read her like a book; it was one of the few things that annoyed her about him. No matter how good she was at hiding her feelings or pretending that everything was fine, Jericho always saw through it. And to top it off, he always called her to the mat about it.

Just as Dave walked back in the room, Jericho smiled. "If you don't go, who am I gonna dance with? I mean I could dance with Jess, but she sucks."

Britain laughed and held her stomach. "Don't make me laugh…it hurts." She remembered watching Jess attempt to dance at their wedding; thank God for video. She had enough to blackmail her for the rest of her life. "Can you imagine having Jess and Dave dance together? I would pay to see that."

"So you'll go then? I promise to make them do the Electric Slide." Jericho said.

Britain nodded, reluctantly. "Good. Now I gotta jet before my wife puts out an APB on my ass." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I won't let anything happen to you." He whispered in her ear and then he tugged her ponytail. "Feel better."

As Dave walked him to the door, he raised a brow. "How the hell do you do that?"

Jericho wiggled his brows. "I don't say I'm a sexy beast because I like the sound of it. Take a lesson Sparky, the ladies never say no to Jericho."

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Randy carried his bag of take out toward his car. He had planned a relaxing night at home, filled with eating Chinese food and hopefully this girl from the tattoo shop he'd been crushing on for a few weeks. Just as he rounded the car, his cell phone rang.

"You want him, you got him." He answered, knowing it was the chick Jackie that he was just thinking about. His face fell as he listened to her explain that she had to reschedule their date; but a smile crossed his lips when she promised to make it up to him. "And how do you plan to do that? I'm hurt Jackie, really. You're going to have to make it up to me over and over and over…" He laughed at her response. "No, I understand. Call me when you get back in town and we'll set something up…Alright…bye." Randy let out a sigh and tried to figure out what the hell he was going to do with all that food.

Just as he put his key in the car door, he heard yelling from across the street. Not being one to pry, he continued the task of opening the car door. But it was something in the voice of the girl yelling at the guy she stood with, that caught his attention. Things seemed to be too heated and the guy was a lot bigger than she was. As he sat in his car, he rolled down the window just to make sure everything was ok before he pulled off. The rain beating down on the car distorted some of the audio but he was still able to hear a few things.

"Leave me alone." The girl screamed pushing the guy away from her.

The guy grabbed her arms to stop her from pushing him again. "Get in the fucking car."

"I'm not going anywhere with you. Leave me alone, Scott!" She yelled again.

"Get in the fucking car! NOW!" He yelled back.

Randy watched as the guy pulled the smaller girl toward his car with him. With a sigh he opened his car door and ran across the street. As he approached the couple, he knew why he recognized that voice. Standing behind the red haired boy, he looked down at the tear streaked face of Maddy.

"Everything ok?" He asked closing the gap between him and the guy, Scott.

Scott clinched his fists. "Who the fuck wants to know?" He turned around and his eyes fell on the chest of Randy that towered over him. He backed down his stance and ran his fingers through his hair.

Randy ignored him and looked over at her. "Maddy, you good?" He asked her directly.

She nodded as she tried to wipe her face. "Yeah…I'm fine, Randy." She said forcing herself to smile.

Scott turned around and glared at Maddy. "See, she's fine. Now you can stop playing hero. Madison… car… now." Scott said hardening his gaze.

"I don't think she wants to go with you dude." Randy said walking over to Maddy.

"Who the fuck are you?" Scott asked, balling his hands into fists.

Randy couldn't help but to laugh. This little guy, who couldn't have been more than 5'7" with fiery red hair and 160 pounds wet, was actually bucking up to him. In a way he could see why Maddy might have been afraid of him, but really, what did this guy think he was going to do to him?

He looked down at Maddy's face and against his better judgment he put a protective arm around her. "I'm her boyfriend. You gotta problem with that?"

Maddy's eyes grew big as she looked up at Randy. She knew that there would be hell to pay for this little display, but she still put her around Randy's waist.

Scott nodded his head. "So it's like that, huh? You're a fucking slut. Just wait Maddy, first thing tomorrow..."

Randy grabbed the kid by the collar and pushed him into the metal gate of the store that they stood in front of. "Ain't shit gonna happen tomorrow, got it? I'm taking her to school and I'm picking her up. And if I hear that _anything_ happened while she's there, I'm kicking your ass."

With a final glare at Randy and then Maddy, Scott retreated to his car. Randy put his head up toward the sky. _Why me?_ He was supposed to be on date with a hot chick, not playing bodyguard and fake boyfriend to one of his best friends' kids. But, there he was and there was nothing he could do about it.

Maddy ran her hand through her hair nervously. "Oh shit Randy…why'd you do that? He's gonna be so pissed." She started to bite her thumbnail as she paced the sidewalk. "I could've handled that by myself."

"Bullshit. You didn't look like you were handling anything from where I was sitting." He informed her grabbing her by the hand. The rain was starting to pour and he pulled her toward his car. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Maddy's eyes grew wide. "I can't go home." Not only had Randy managed to make things with Scott worse, but now he was going to blow her cover. "My mom thinks I'm at my dad's. And my dad thinks I'm at my moms."

Shaking his head, Randy unlocked the car door and made sure Maddy got in. It's not like he had never been a similar situation before. He use to lie to his parents about where he was all the time when he lived at home. Dave would flip the fuck out if he found out, but then again he was at home taking care of Britain after her surgery. It was his duty as his friend to take care of Maddy, so that Dave could take care of his wife. As he got in the driver's seat, he looked over at Maddy. _Poor kid._

Knowing that what he was about to do was wrong he turned on the ignition. "You hungry? I got Chinese."

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"Is it really gross?" Britain asked as she shut her eyes tighter. "Just tell me…is there a big scar?"

Dave carefully took the bandage off of her navel and examined it. He scrunched his face up and closed one eye. "Oh my God. Babe, this is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen." He reached over to grab the warm cloth and carefully he cleaned the wound. "Sorry." He winched when she flinched. "Does it really hurt?"

Britain shook her head. "Only when you touch it, or when I move, or breathe. Is it really that bad?"

He smiled. "No. I'm just fucking with you. You can barely see it. It's about a ½ inch long and it starts so far in your belly button that it's not noticeable at all." He applied ointment to the incision and redressed it. "All done."

He carefully rolled her Kermit the Frog pajama pants down to her waist to make sure they didn't ride up and irritate the incision. Before pulling her shirt back down over her stomach, he touched his hand to it. "Your dad told me about your car accident. Why didn't you ever tell me?" He had a sneaking suspicion that this accident was a bunch of horseshit, but he was interested in what she would say.

Britain pulled her shirt down herself. "It's not a big deal."

"But you don't have any scars…how'd you manage that kind of an injury without any scars?" He asked still rubbing her tummy underneath of her shirt.

She shrugged. He was calling her out, she was sure of it. "I don't know. I was unconscious through most of it. When I had the surgery I had already lost a lot of blood. I don't remember."

"Was anybody else hurt?"

Britain shook her head. "I don't want to talk about that. It happened; it's over and now let's move on." She said gently taking her foot and nudging his leg. Dave grabbed Britain's food and began massaging it. "I'm sorry. I just wondered how you could have managed to go through all of that without having a scratch on you."

The angels must have been listening because before Britain had a chance to answer, she saw her mother's head peak from around the corner. "You two eating? Dinner's ready."

This conversation would have to wait, but Dave wasn't giving up on it. There was something that Britain wasn't telling him, something that felt he had the right to know. He may not have the answers yet, but dammit, he was going to find them.

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"_I don't know, it's like she keeps pulling away from me. Every time I think we're getting past this, suddenly she clams up. Now I find out about some random surgery she had that caused all kinds of internal problems…it's the reason she's having a hard time conceiving now; but she won't talk to me about it." _

_He'd be lying if he said that it didn't feel good to get it off of his chest. Usually if something was bothering him, he would turn to Britain; but who was he supposed to turn to when she was causing the problem? They always shared everything; well at least he thought they did. Even if 'sharing' turned into ranting and raving; truthfully Britain would rant and he would listen. But he admired how passionate she got about his problems. It made him feel like she was really in his corner. But now…he didn't know what to think._

"_I just want to know why all of a sudden she can't trust me enough to let me in." He was defeated, confused and a little pissed off._

_Rebecca touched his hand. "Why don't you just ask her? Stop beating around the bush. Just come out with it."_

_Dave looked at Rebecca and laughed. "You don't know Britain. If she feels threatened by round about questions, she's likely to shut down completely if I come right out and ask her. I just don't like being lied to."_

_Rebecca put her arm around his shoulder and rubbed it. "I'm sure when she's ready she'll talk to you. I mean, you're so easy to talk to. I couldn't imagine that she wouldn't feel comfortable."_

"_I just want to know what I'm up against, ya know. I know we can deal with it, but I'd like to know what's going on." He sat his glass back on the table. "It's fucked up because if it were me, she'd ride my ass until I told her. She always acts like she has to protect me and take care of me. I just want to do the same thing for her."_

_He rubbed his hands over his face and turned toward Rebecca. He saw something in her eyes that he hadn't noticed before; she really cared. He felt her hand gently stroke his face. "Maybe she's still trying to protect you." She tilted her head slightly as her fingers traced his lips. He could swear he saw her close her eyes against the feeling. "You need to give her time," she whispered, "but if you just need someone to listen…I'm here."_

He sat on the couch rubbing Britain's leg still thinking about the way Rebecca looked at him. It felt good to have someone listen to him, to open up to him. He knew that he shouldn't be putting all of their business in the streets like that, but he didn't know what else to do. Ric was dealing with yet another divorce, Randy was out sowing his wild oats, Hunter didn't give a shit and John was too busy following X around the world trying to catch her cheating. He most certainly couldn't talk to Emily…hell no. She would only try to convince him that he should have never married that 'child' in the first place. For the past month, Rebecca had been his only confidant. She listened to him intensely and always tried to get him to see things from Britain's point of view, without making it seem like he was wrong for feeling the way he did.

But why was it that now that his wife was at home, resting comfortably next to him that he couldn't stop thinking about Rebecca's eyes? All of his thoughts should have been on Britain, but whenever he thought about her, he could only think that she pulling away from him.

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Randy drove Maddy to school and could feel his palms sweating under the grip of the steering wheel. Some how the night had gone terribly wrong. What started off as a friendly chat about Maddy's dramatic break up with Scott over dinner, turned into Maddy sleeping on his couch, which turned into him waking up with her in his bed. Although he still couldn't name the chain of events, during his sleep, he rolled over to feel a warm body next to him, Out of instinct, he snuggled next to that body, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. He never even opened his eyes, all he did was smell the soothing coconut scented hair and feel the soft hand that gently trialed up his own.

Then suddenly reality hit. When he fell asleep, Madison had been in his house. So that could mean only one thing…he was cuddling with her. He jumped up so fast it gave him a headache. He couldn't even recall all of the things he said to her, but all he knew was it resulted in the girl crying. He felt like shit. So now he drove her to school in silence, even afraid to look in her direction.

"Thanks Randy…for everything." She said getting out of the car. She stopped when she felt Randy touch her arm.

"Let me walk you to the door. I don't like that guy." Randy met her on the other side of the car and walked up the neatly manicured lawn. He locked eyes with Scott and instantly grabbed Maddy's hand as they walked past. There was something about being able to bully that guy that Randy enjoyed. He had bullied so much when he was a kid. The son of Cowboy Bob Orton, got his ass beat on a daily bases and now was his retribution.

He noticed how the heads turned as he and Maddy walked toward the school. It wasn't that people didn't know who her father was, but they never really associated the Batista girls with having contact with any of the other wrestlers. Deciding that he wanted to walk right through where Scott and his friends were standing, Randy paused to look Scott up and down, before he bumped his shoulder and proceeded to take Maddy to the door.

"I'll pick you up." Randy said running his fingers through his hair. "I told that asshole that I would be here and I want to make sure that he doesn't try any shit with you."

"Randy, you don't have to do that. I'm fine." She reassured him; really she just wanted to get in the building and as far away from Randy as possible. How are you supposed to deal when your crush rejects you? It would have been so easy; no one would have known. Everyone at home was busy with their own lives; they probably didn't even notice that she was gone. And if Randy didn't tell, she wouldn't. But now, he wouldn't even look her in the eye.

"3:00, right?" He asked turning back to look at Scott. She nodded. "I'm sorry I made you cry." He said quietly still not quite meeting her eyes. "I just got freaked out."

He figured he should kiss her on the cheek or something as a good will gesture. It's not like he had never kissed her on the cheek before. Hell, he was practically _Uncle Randy. _He had known her since she was 13. But he didn't want to give her _any_ mixed signals.

But to his surprise, Madison reached up on her tip-toes and kissed him softly on the lips. And even more surprising was the fact that he kissed her back. _Stop…please God, make me stop. _He didn't like Maddy, she was Dave's kid. Maddy was the little girl he known for years, the one that always followed him around like a puppy. She was the girl that would giggle every time he spoke to her and he enjoyed tormenting her. He knew he was her fantasy man, but she was _Dave's kid_. But Madison was legal, attractive, smart, well developed and she sure did know how to kiss. Madison wasn't as so little anymore, hell Madison could give some of the girls he dated a run for their money. Madison was trouble, she was looking for a thrill; but she was still _Dave's kid._

Maddy smiled as she pulled away and started to wind her hair around her finger. "3:00" She walked inside the school hoping that no one saw the shade of crimson she had turned.

Randy walked back to his car with his head down. _That girl's gonna get me killed._


	13. Secret Feelings

_Author's Note: I know this chapter didn't need a sex scene, but since I'm not getting any, I figured my characters should! There's another A/N at the bottom..._

_**This chapter contains sexual content.**_

Secret Feelings

_Clean area, depress until all air escapes…inject solution into muscle while still depressing._ Britain's lip curled as she stood in front of the mirror trying to figure out were else she could give herself an injection. She looked at herself and sighed. The incision from her surgery was nothing more than a little red line on her belly button and she was sure it would heal completely in the next few weeks. But the bruise on her left thigh bothered her. For almost a week that had been the first injection site. But now that area was sore and there was a small but nasty blue bruise there. It seemed that Dr. Matthews wanted her to continue hormone therapy to increase her ovulation and if that didn't work in six months they would try something else.

It had only been three weeks since the surgery, but she was feeling great. The bleeding had stopped and the pain was almost non-existent thanks to having the procedure done via Laparoscopy. The only real time she felt pain is when she tried to lift something, but she wasn't supposed to be doing that anyway. She had even been given the all clear to have sex again; and she couldn't wait.

Dave quietly walked in the room. "What are you looking at?" He watched her check herself out in the mirror. He wondered if she saw what he did. The tight white tank top and the matching white bikini cut panties she wore glowed against her creamy skin, giving it a sharp contrast to her hair; their bedroom, filled with tranquil soft grey tones, making her skin look even more radiant. He wondered how she could stand there and look at herself without the urge to touch herself.

"It says to inject this into my muscle. I don't have any more muscles." She looked defeated, but she picked up the box and looked at the diagram. She awkwardly turned her body around so she could look behind her, and touched her hand to her hip. "See, that's bone."

Dave smiled and shook his head. He stood behind her and looked at her in the mirror. "Do you want it in the front or in the back?"

She cocked her brow at him and licked her lips. "I haven't had it either place in a long time." Britain rested her body against his and just enjoyed feeling his warmth.

"I can fix that…but we have things to do first." He said getting back on target. He let his hand touch her hip and slowly dragged it around to just above her backside. "This is muscle." He whispered touching the soft area.

"But I can't reach that." She said trying to figure out how she could inject herself there.

He trailed is hand back across her waist noting how she started to melt against him. His hand stopped just above her hips bone, to the heavily indented portion at the bottom of her rib cage. "That's muscle too." He whispered into her hair.

Britain held up the syringe to him and sighed. "You do it."

That's what marriage was all about, right? Doing shit that you didn't want to do, but you do it anyway because your spouse asked you to. "Normally, I don't mind sticking things in you," Dave said smiling as he took the needle from her, "but somehow; I'm not excited by this."

"Just do it, goofball." She said reaching up to pop the back of his head.

Dave ran his hand down her arm. "Ready?" When she nodded he grabbed an alcohol patch and cleaned the area and then counted to three. He actually stuck her on two which made her flinch, but by the time he said three he was already removing the syringe.

"Not so bad?" He asked raising his brows. She rested her head against his chest and brought her arms up around his neck. "I didn't think so."

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Instead of basking the sun filled beaches of Cancun, Chase and Jeff decided to go to Tampa and spend a week; not that Jeff was at all happy about it. He didn't want to have to spend any more time around Dave than he had too. But somehow the idea of seeing Dave's face when he found out about the baby was enough to make him forget that he worked his ass off to spend a week in _Tampa_.

Jeff couldn't stop talking about it. He reminded Chase every minute that she was pregnant with _his _child. He refused to let her do anything, for fear it may some how harm the baby. But at their first real pre-natal visit, the doctor assured them everything was fine. Everything might have been fine with the baby, but the mother was a totally different story. For one the morning sickness was back with a vengeance. Everyday after every meal, she threw up. She was convinced this kid was trying to kill her. Jeff was particularly worried about that. How was she supposed to gain weight if she couldn't keep anything down?

But with the constant hurling and visiting Dave aside, this was going to be a wonderful trip. Not only would they finally be able to tell everyone what was going on, but he was going to propose to her. He wanted them to be engaged before they made the big announcement. Now it was only a matter of finding the right time. Jeff knew that this night wouldn't work because of Alli's State Championships, nor would the next night because it was that party that Bischoff was throwing. But after that was done, there was nothing else pressing until the family dinner they were having three days from now.

Jeff laid with his head in Chase's thigh as she tried to take a nap. He rubbed her tummy, knowing that she wasn't feeling that great after their flight. But even though she was trying to sleep, he couldn't help but to talk to his baby.

"You need to settle down in there, little one. Mommy's trying to take a nap." He smiled still drawing big circles with his fingers on her tummy. "You know once you come out of there, Daddy's gonna take you in the other room when Mommy's tryin' to sleep and then I'll tell you all the stuff I did to get in trouble when I was little." He placed a soft kiss on Chase's stomach. "I hope you're a girl and you look just like your Mommy. She's the most beautiful woman in the world, you know that? You're real lucky to have a Mommy that's so nice and pretty. All the boys are gonna be crushin' on you."

"Jeff." Chase said quietly. "Come here and shut up."

Jeff smiled and whispered to his child again, before crawling back up to lay next to Chase. He sighed as she rolled her head over to his shoulder and put her arm across his chest. She was comfortable laying on him and he was comfortable just having her in his arms. He knew she was scared to death about having a child, but he also knew that they would do great as long as they did it together.

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Dave sat on the couch impatiently waiting for Jeff and Chase to make it to their house. They should've left already, but no they had to wait for Jeff. Dave shook his head when he thought about it. If he missed the tip off of Alli's game, he was going to break Jeff's neck. He let out a frustrated sigh as he looked down at Britain who was sprawled across the couch watching TV with her head in his lap.

"Davey, the game doesn't start until 6." She looked at her watch, "It's only 4:30. Calm down." He always did this…anything that came to Jeff was wrong. "And the school is closer to here than her school is."

Dave poked his tongue out at her and rested his head on the back of the couch. Of all the things he would rather be doing right now, fucking waiting for Jeff Hardy wasn't one of them. He lifted his head when he felt Britain's hand go under the hem of his shirt and start to gently touch his stomach.

Smiling, Dave grabbed her hand. "We can't do that. You know as soon as we start _he's_ gonna ring that damn bell."

Britain paid him no attention and rolled so she faced is stomach. Slowly she let her tongue travel the hard muscles of his abdomen. "These shots make me horny." She continued to lick him and propped herself up so that she could unbutton his jeans.

He started to protest, but the telephone ringing disrupted him. Dave reached behind him to the table near the couch to stop the irritating noise. "Yeah." He answered giving Britain a stern look and then a smile.

"Hi…just wanted to see what was going on." Rebecca said on the other end.

'_What are you doing?'_ he mouthed to Britain as she opened his jeans and started to try to pull them off of his hips, while he was still sitting. It was difficult, but she was determined and with his help, and in the end she won the battle of the jeans. "If you don't know what I'm doing…I'm not doing it right." She said with a smile looking up at him. She fumbled a bit with the elastic on his underwear, but she was resourceful. Instead of wasting time with that, she opted to unbutton the fly on the front of the boxer briefs.

"I'm a watching TV." Dave said with uncertainty in his voice all the while watching Britain fumble with his underwear and trying to figure out where the hell she was going with this. "What's up with you?"

Britain gave him a devilish smirk as she started to extricate him from the confines of his undergarments. She felt him flinch under her hand as soon it made contact. Dave pulled the phone away from his face. "They'll be here any minute." He said looking down at her trying to figure out if he really cared that Jeff was on his way. He hadn't had any kind of sex in three weeks and right now, there were two devils on his shoulders saying, _'Do it!'_

"Well I guess we need to hurry up then." Britain replied before opening her mouth and letting him fill it.

"You going out?" Rebecca asked on the phone. He had almost forgotten he was talking to her.

"Yeah." Dave said in a hurried breath. He removed the phone again looked down at his wife. "Babe…I'm on the phone." He moaned to her as she settled into a rhythm.

"So talk on the phone…and you better not hang up." She said only removing her mouth to reply to him and then suddenly she was back on her mission.

"You there?" Rebecca asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

Dave had a choice to make. Hang up and risk Britain stopping, he had been in this situation before, or stay on the phone and completely freak Rebecca out. He let out a deep breath and rested his head on the couch and closed his eyes. "I'm here."

"So…I signed my contract today. I'm going to Raw." She said with a giggle in her voice. "I'm so excited. We're going to be working together."

Dave's hand found itself buried deep in Britain's hair and he tried his best to steady his voice. "That's good." He sighed, not quite sure if he was answering Rebecca or appraising Britain. "Mmm…shit." That part wasn't supposed to come out, but when Britain started to moan against him, he felt the vibrations through is entire body.

"What are you doing?" Rebecca asked, noticing how distant he sounded. He had had this kind of conversation with Randy enough times that he didn't think Randy could tell anymore. If he could, he never let on to it.

All he could do was pant, because any real words would have came out in a prepubescent voice. "Nothing." He choked out, lifting his head to look at Britain. Just the sight of her, knowing she was back to her old self and maybe a little sexually starved and all the things he could do to her later, forced a deep groan from the pit of his belly to cross his mouth.

Rebecca may have looked stupid, but she wasn't; well at least not on this occasion. "Are you fucking?"

"Mmmm" was his reply. Somewhere he forgot that he was on the phone and as he felt all of his muscles go weak, he let the phone fall onto the couch.

Rebecca never hung up. She silently listened to the sound of Dave's voice as he experience pleasure. She could almost imagine what his face looked like…the way his muscles contracted. She would never admit it, but she had dreamed about it for some time now, and it sounded just as good as she thought it would.

Britain moaned softly as Dave's hand made it up her gypsy skirt. In some animalistic way, he had managed to rip her underwear from her hips. She was sure that was going to leave a bruise. In the back of her mind she knew that Dave had forgotten all about Jeff and Chase coming over and truthfully, if they had to stand on the porch until they were finished; so be it.

"Come here." Dave whispered in a husky voice, lifting Britain up by the arms. He attacked her lips hungrily as he guided her leg across his. He held up her skirt so that she could angle herself above him and with then he slowly helped her find a seat on his lap.

There was nothing slow or sensual about it. It was sex at its most primal level and it was fucking amazing. They were both oblivious to the fact that the phone was still off the hook or that Rebecca was still listening. They encouraged each other, saying things to one another that no other person was supposed to hear. The things that lovers say in bed, when they are in a heated bout of passion, should only stay between only them; not give private information to woman who secretly wants to take place of a woman that he was in love with.

Rebecca felt herself cringe when she heard Dave tell Britain that he loved her and then again when he said her name as he came. That should have been her; not Britain. Britain was the one causing him pain, she was the one that wouldn't be honest with him, and she was the one that forced him to turn to her because Britain didn't trust him enough with the truth. Did he just forget all that? She was content just being his friend, but when she realized that he was hurting, it turned into something more. She had become his comforter, so why should Britain be the one comforting him now?

"You are a bad girl." Dave looked into Britain's glazed over eyes and bit his lip.

A high pitched giggle escaped her mouth as he gently brushed his lips over her neck. "Well I guess I should be punished then, huh?"

Rebecca hung up the phone. She didn't want to hear anymore. Her heart was breaking and if she didn't something soon she was going to loose her one chance at Dave.

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Chase sat uncomfortably between Jeff and Dave. She was so nervous that she couldn't even pay attention to the fact that St. Michael's School was getting their asses handed to them by Our Lady of Hope. She also didn't pay attention to her dad yelling at the referees when Alli got called for a foul.

"She barely touched her!" Dave yelled through the gymnasium.

Chase leaned forward and looked at her mother, who seemed to be as equally enthralled in the game as was Jeff. The only other person who seemed not to really care what was going on was Britain. And it's not that she didn't care that Alli's team was loosing, she just didn't like basketball.

Chase watched Britain watch the game in silence and wondered how she could be so calm. She knew Britain would be the only person she could talk to before they let the family know. But judging by the way everyone else was reacting, when they got home all eyes and sympathies would be on Alli.

"Where's Maddy?" Britain asked Dave. He shrugged never taking his eyes off the game. "I thought she was coming with you Em. That's a bullshit call ref!"

Britain turned to Emily. "She had a date." Emily said dismissively.

Britain made a mental note to talk to Maddy later on. She let her eyes fall on Chase. "You ok honey?" She asked reaching over Dave.

Chase tried to smile. "I don't feel well."

"You wanna go back to hotel?" Jeff asked concerned. He knew why she wasn't feeling well, it was that damn hotdog; only Jeff couldn't say anything.

"I'll take her back to the house with me. I gotta change the decorations anyway." Britain grabbed her bag off the floor and kissed Dave. "Let me know if they actually win." She watched as he tried to look around her at the game and she shook her head. She grabbed Chase by the hand and they headed out the gym.

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Britain knew something was wrong right away. Chase had been quiet the entire 10 minute ride back to the house. She sat the hot cup of tea in front of Chase and sat down next to her.

"Gonna tell me what's up?" She asked stroking Chase's blonde hair.

Chase couldn't say it, instead her eyes welled up. "Oh God Britain…I'm pregnant."

Britain wanted to be happy for Chase, but there was a little part of her that was jealous. "That's great honey. Does Jeff know?" No matter what she felt she was going to be the supportive stepmother/friend to Chase.

She nodded. "Yeah…he's so fucking happy. I just wish he would stop talking about it, until I know what I want to do."

Britain was confused. What was Chase talking about? "What do you mean, until you know what you want to do?"

Chase couldn't stop crying. This was the first time she could let it out. "I don't want to be a mom…not yet anyway. I'm 21 years old."

"Well you should have thought about that before you got pregnant." Britain snapped. "Did you even use anything?"

Chase thought about it. "We always did. But it was just a few times when we went away…I never thought he'd get me pregnant."

"No. Don't blame this on Jeff. _You _didn't think either. Neither one of you considered this when you went bareback. Now you gotta live this for the rest of your life."

Chase played with the teabag in her cup. She couldn't look at Britain. "I want you to…" It sounded right in her head, but when she tried to say it sounded cruel. "I want you to help me find a place that I can go to, so I won't have to have it." She couldn't even bring the word her lips.

"What?" Britain practically yelled. She could feel the tears coming to her own eyes. "Does Jeff know how you feel?" Chase shook her head. "You need to talk him first." Britain calmed herself for a moment and put her hand on Chase's. "I know you're scared, but that is a huge decision and Jeff has to be a part of it. I'm begging you, think about it first. You will never be able to forgive yourself."

Chase wept openly. "What kind of a mother am I going to be? I don't even think I want my own baby." For weeks now, she had been holding this in. And though she didn't expect anyone to understand, she was just glad to get it out. "My life can't handle a baby in it right now."

That was the wrong thing to say. "You have to be the most selfish fucking brat I've ever met." Britain said as the tears rolled down her face. She took in Chase's surprised expression, but she didn't care. She stood up and pulled up her skirt to reveal the bruise on her thigh from her shots. "I would give my right arm to be in your place right now. Do you see what I have to do to get pregnant? I have to inject myself with a needle twice a day, I've had surgery and I still might not be able to have a baby. Your dad and I are going through hell to have a child and you want to throw yours away. Do you know how hard this is? How much time and money we're spending going to doctors appointments, scheduling tests, all the fucking treatments…" She roughly wiped her tears with her hand. "You are blessed with a baby. Don't you dare sit here and tell me that you're too fucking busy to raise it."

Chase sat alone at the table and cried. If Britain, who was her best friend, could talk to her like that and hate her for her decision, what in the hell was Jeff going to think?

_Author's Note: Before you send me death threats or PMs about how badly I'm fucking up the story, let me explain. I was 20 years old when I found out I was pregnant and I totally freaked. When you're young and not expecting it the world closes down around you. I like the idea that Chase has a decision to make, that even though she's in love with Jeff, she's not happy about giving up her childhood (because at 20 or 21 that's what you are!) to have a baby. I know how the issues will be resolved, so I'm asking that you trust me. I told you there would drama...it's just starting._


	14. The Words of a Father

_Author's Note: First let me say that I am floored by your overwhelming personal testimonies. I never imagined that so many of you would share stories and feelings about this subject matter. Since I was asked...yes, I did have my son. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. But that's not say that it wasn't struggle for the 9 months that I was pregnant. I cried every day. It's a wonder he wasn't born severely depressed, because Lord knows I was. _

_Now, this is the chapter that everyone keeps asking about. How's Dave going to react... You'll get a snippit here, but more will come out. I gotta start revealing some stuff, because I don't want this to be a 50 chapter story..._

_You're feedback is appreaciated...I hope you'll continue to read and share with me. I bow down to your comments._

_Shanny_

* * *

The Words of a Father

"Hey All-Star." Britain said as she walked down the stairs and put her arms around Alli. She looked up at Dave and raised her eyebrows. He shook his head indicating that St. Michael's had indeed lost the State Championship. "We'll get 'em next year." Britain felt her eyes tear again when Alli's arm came around her. The relationship between Alli and Britain had gotten better over the years, but the two were far from being close. Still, it felt good to have her hug her back.

Dave looked at Britain's face and instantly knew something was wrong. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were puffy; if he didn't know better, he would think that she had been crying. He happened to look over through the opening of the dining room and saw Chase, still sitting at the table, with her back to everyone. That was so unlike her. Normally, she would have been the first person to console her sister.

Jeff too noticed her sitting by herself and walked over to where she sat. He could see the fresh tears run down her face and the look of total helplessness that she held. "What's wrong, darlin'?" He asked kneeling next to where she was sitting. She seemed out of it all day, but not to the point of crying. _Maybe it's the hormones_, he mused.

"I want to go back to the hotel." She said quietly. Without looking at him, she stood up and grabbed her purse and walked to the door.

Just as she pulled it open, Maddy walked up on the porch. "Hey!" Maddy yelled running up to her older sister hugging her. "Oh my God, I have so much to tell you!"

Chase shook her head and held up her hand. "Not now Maddy." She fought back her tears and ran to Jeff's rental.

Maddy walked in the house and looked around. "What's wrong with her?" She asked Jeff. He shrugged and followed Chase. "What? I walk in the house and suddenly everybody's quiet?"

"It's because nobody likes you." Alli said rolling her eyes.

Maddy rolled her neck at her little sister. "You know; just because you stink as a point guard, don't take it out on me."

"Like you even saw the game. I bet you were too busy sucking dick to notice…" Alli retorted.

"Well, I'd rather suck it, then grow one, you dyke." Maddy snapped back.

"Shut up." Alli flopped herself on the couch and grabbed the remote.

Maddy walked over to the couch and snatched it out of Alli's hand. "You, shut up."

"Both of you shut up." Dave said running his hand across his jaw and sighing. He was going to have to ship them off to Boarding School if they didn't get their acts together.

Britain didn't want this to turn into Family Feud, so she broke the ice. "I have a present for you." She said walking over to her purse. She pulled out two envelopes and handed the first one to Alli. "I know how much you love soccer and my friend Victoria's husband is having a two day soccer camp…in England."

Alli opened the envelope and her eyes grew wide. She looked at the ticket and the brochure, then up at Britain. "David Beckham? Are you serious?"

Britain smiled and nodded. "And I thought, maybe _we_ could go shopping." She said handing Maddy the second envelope.

Maddy squealed and jumped up and tackled Britain. "You are the BEST step-mother on the planet!" Her excitement made Britain smile. That's all she wanted, she wanted to be close to Dave's girls. But the quick glance at Emily said that was the wrong move.

Emily hated Britain, for no other reason than she was with Dave. It's not like Emily really wanted Dave either, but Britain had something with him, that she never did. Britain had his affection. "You didn't ask if you could that. They're not your kids; you just can't take them on a trip whenever you feel like it." She folded her arms across her chest and dared Britain to say something.

"I asked Dave if it was ok." Britain said rolling her eyes. She was not going to cause a scene in front of Maddy and Alli. Especially since the last time, it resulted in Maddy crying hysterically.

"But nobody asked me. You can't handle both of them together. They're practically your age." Emily said raising her voice.

Dave shook his head. Why was it that every time everybody was together, something always jumped off? "This is bullshit, Em. They're going the same time Raw is gonna be in Europe. I'll be with them for two days, and Britain will only have them for one day alone, before they come back. It's not a big deal."

Emily was pissed. "Let's go, Alli." She walked out of the front door without saying goodbye.

Britain looked confused. What the hell just happened? But when she felt Alli's arms come around her again and the kiss her cheek, it didn't matter. "Thanks." Alli whispered before hugging Dave and then walking outside.

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Jeff stood in the doorway of the bathroom watching Chase sit completely still on the bed. Something happened with Britain and she wouldn't tell him what it was. He hated to see her hurt. "You ok?" He whispered sitting next to her, reaching out to wipe her tears.

Chase leaned in and put her head on his chest. She didn't want to tell him, but Britain was right…he had the right to know. "I don't want to have a baby, Jeff." She said in a small voice. "I can't do this."

Jeff smiled and shook his head. "I know you're scared…so am I, but we're gonna be fine."

She sat up from his embraced and looked at him as if he didn't understand. "We're not gonna be fine. I'm still in school. How am I supposed to finish another year of college, with a baby?" Her words were broken by her sobs. "And what about Grad School? I have to give that up, too."

"You act like you're doin' this alone. I'll be there…I'll help." Jeff's voice was gentle. He had wanted for her tell him what she was going through since they find out. All he wanted was for her to know that he was there for her no matter what.

"How are you gonna help Jeff? You're not home long enough to even clean the damn kennels. How are you gonna help me raise a baby? You're not taking this kid on the road with you…and I'm not strapping it to me when I go to class…"

Jeff thought for minute, he didn't have the answers, but it just made sense in his mind. "My dad's right down the road…he can help. He can watch the baby while you're in school. Chase, it'll work itself out."

"Well what about a job?" She was grasping at anything that would make him understand; anything but the truth. "I've never had a job before, Jeff. I want to know what its like to work and actually make my own money. I don't want to live off my father for the rest of my life." Her head hurt from the rapid thoughts swirling in her brain, her eyes burned from the tears that came out in floods. Jeff wasn't listening…he _had_ to listen.

"Well…I just thought you'd wanna stay home with the baby. But we can get a nanny or somethin' so you could work if you want." Jeff dug into his pocket and got out the ring. "I wanted to do this at a better time, but now it seems like the right one." He opened the box and held the ring in front of her. "I want to show you that I'm serious about our family and that I love you and the baby. I want you marry me. I'll take care of y'all. I love y'all."

Chase shook her head and stood up, she turned to face him. "What? No. I don't want to get married." This was going all wrong. She stood up and faced him. "You can't take care of us, Jeff. You can barely take care of yourself." This was going to hurt, but she didn't care. He didn't seem to care that her fears were real. "Do you know how much time I spend making sure everything is perfect when you come home, so you won't fall off the wagon?" She sucked in a jagged breath as she tried to steady her voice so she could talk. "I spend all my time with your stupid friends because I need to make sure that if they want to smoke a joint that you don't join in. I can't take care of baby…I'm too busy taking care of you."

Jeff's face changed completely. For the first time since he had met her, he had felt genuine anger towards Chase. "Let me tell you something, Chase…my sobriety's got nothin' to do with you. I'm clean because I like myself this way. I like knowin' where I am when I wake in the mornin' and I like being able to remember what I did the night before. I don't need no babysitter." He closed the box and threw it on the bed. "If you don't love me, just say that…don't make fuckin' excuses."

"I do love you, Jeff. But I don't want to be a wife and mother. I'm 21 years old for God's sake. You are my first boyfriend, all I know is you. I never dated before you…I never did _anything_ before I met you. Now you want me to have a baby and marry you? There's a whole world out there, that I've never seen. There's a whole world that I don't know about…and if I do this, I'll never know about it." She knelt before him and pleaded with his eyes. "I can't give up everything, just to make you happy and have your kid."

Jeff stood; he suddenly needed to be as far away from Chase as possible. "So what the fuck is this Chase? What I am, just fuckin' practice…somebody to try things out with so you'll know what to do when next guy comes along?" He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "What the fuck else do I gotta do to prove to you and your father that I'm a good man?" He felt his voice quiver and the tears come to the back of his eyes. "I take good care of you. I pay every fuckin' bill in that house, I make sure you have everythin' you want and need. I go out of my way to make sure you know that you're special. When I'm dead tired and I come home for two days from the road, I don't care how bad my body hurts or how much I wanna sleep; I make sure I do somethin' special for you, so you know how much I love you." The tears rolled down his face as he tried to keep his voice from rising. "I'm good to you, so don't you tell me that I'm not good enough for my own kid."

"I don't want this baby. I'm not having it." She said lowering her head.

Jeff felt his heart heave as the sob he needed to release made its way through his body. "I don't even get a say do I?" He ran the back of his hand across the tears on his face. "I want this baby."

She shook her head and reached for her bag. "I can't do this."

"If you walk out that door don't come back!" He threatened.

She looked at him and grabbed the door handle. "I'm _not_ having it."

"Chase, please!" His voice cracked as he pleaded, watching the door close behind her. Jeff sat on the bed and let his head fall forward. "Please, don't go..." He cried to an empty room.

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"Dave…I kinda got this problem." Randy spoke into the receiver. "And I kinda neede some advice."

Dave huffed and sat on the barstool at his kitchen counter. It's not like anything else was going on. Maddy was on Myspace, again, and Britain had already gone to bed. It was still early and he was bored. "What's up?" If nothing else, helping Randy was always amusing. He always found himself in the strangest situations.

"Well, you got kids, right…" He was stalling. "Well, there's this girl…and she's kinda young. But I've known her a long time and I know her family really well. Well, I think she has thing for me."

"And?" Dave had yet to see the problem.

"Well, her father's kind of a hard ass and I don't want to him to get all psycho or anything."

"Do you like her?" He asked seriously. "Cause if you do, then go for it. How young is she?"

Randy sighed; he needed advice without giving too much away. "Eighteen?"

"She's legal…that's a start, for you anyway." Dave said as he rolled an apple across the counter. "But I can see why you'd be a little leery…that's really young. Especially if you just plan on sleeping with her."

Randy hadn't thought about that. He was finding himself somewhat attracted to Maddy, but he never really considered what that involved. "I don't think it would be that. I know her too well."

"So you want a relationship." Dave asked with a laugh. "Come on man, this me you're talking to. You wouldn't know how be in a relationship if one came up and bit you on the ass."

"Well maybe I want what you have. Maybe I want a girlfriend… fuck, if Cena can settle down, I know I can." Randy felt a little bitter at Dave's lack of confidence in him. "But as a parent, would you freak out if say I wanted to date Chase?"

Dave shook his head as if Randy could see it. "I know you Orton, you're a good guy. Your methods are a little fucked up, but you mean well. I won't have a problem if wanted to date one of my girls, hypothetically."

"Really?" Randy's voice cracked. "You're serious?"

Dave heard the door bell ring and he got off the stool. As he looked out the window he saw Chase standing on the porch. "Look, I gotta go. I'll talk to you about this later. But for now, just don't fuck it up with this girl. If you like her, take it slow."

He hung up the phone and opened the front door. Chase looked a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy, her shirt was wrinkled; he knew she had been pulling on it. She always pulled at her clothes when she cried. He even noticed her duffel bag slung over her shoulder. Dave stepped aside and let Chase come in.

"What's wrong, Princess?" He asked with concern.

She took one look at his face and broke down again. "Jeff and I broke up." She whispered to keep from wailing. "It's over."

Dave pulled Chase into his arms and held her. He let the corners of his mouth curl into a smile, but he wouldn't let her see it. "Oh honey, I'm sorry." He wasn't the least bit sorry. "What happened?" He really didn't care. Jeff Hardy was out of the picture and inside, Dave was break dancing.

Chase pulled away from her father and looked him in the eyes. "I'm pregnant."

He went from cloud nine to the ninth circle of hell in 2.2 seconds. Without saying anything else, Dave grabbed his keys and left the house.

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Jeff was awakened by the incessant banging on the hotel room door. He turned on the lamp and padded across the floor to answer it. As soon as the door opened, Jeff found himself jacked up by the collar and slammed into the wall.

"You son of a bitch." Dave glared at Jeff. There was no one to stop him, and he didn't care who heard the screams. "You get my daughter pregnant and then you break up with her?"

Jeff grabbed Dave's arms at his wrists. "Get the fuck off me." He said staring Dave down. "Before you come in here accusing me of shit. Why don't you ask your _precious_ Chase why she walked out on me?"

Dave had never even asked Chase what really happened. All he heard was '_I'm pregnant' _and he saw that she had her bags, so he assumed Jeff dumped her. "What did you do to her?"

"You ain't gonna believe me no way, so do it matter?" Jeff straightened his shirt and slid down the wall to the floor. "I asked her marry me. I told her I wanted to make us a family. But she don't want the baby. You still wanna kick my ass? Go ahead, I ain't nothin' left."

Dave threw his head back and looked at the ceiling. "She's a child Jeff. Why the fuck weren't you more careful with her? _You're_ supposed to be the mature one. What the fuck I thinking to trust you with her?"

"She ain't no child Dave. She wasn't a child when she laid down with me and made that baby…she damn sure ain't one now." The tears were fresh again as Jeff thought about it. He had lost Chase _and_ his baby. "I ain't never be good enough for her am I? I ain't never gonna get to be a father to my child. That's my kid too, Dave…" His sobs over took him as pointed to his chest. ", mine."

Dave let out a sigh and reached his hand out to Jeff. He pulled him to a standing position and felt sorry the man in front of him. "I'll talk to her." Dave said quietly.

"Even if she don't want to be with me no more, I still love her. I still want the baby." Jeff pleaded. "That's my blood."

At that moment the earth stood still, because Dave held Jeff in his arms and let him cry on his shoulder. He could only imagine the anguish that Jeff was feeling. He had three daughters and he couldn't imagine one moment of his life without them. Jeff must of have been in hell to know that his child wasn't going to be.

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Dave opened Chase's bedroom door only to find her asleep, holding Scraps tightly. He could hear her breathing breaking in sobs, even in her sleep. This conversation would have to wait until the morning; only he hadn't the foggiest idea of what to say to her.

He made his way to his room and took off his clothes. He slid in the bed next to his wife and wrapped his arms around her. "She wants an abortion." He said to Britain. He knew that she knew, even without her saying a word to him.

"I know." She said with a sniffle. "I just found out right before you came home…I was going to tell you."

He wasn't even concerned about that, all he wanted to know was how to help his daughter. "Maybe she'll come around. There are so many options if she has the baby."

"It's not fair. She doesn't want the one she has, but I can't have the one I want." Britain said as she tried not to cry.

Dave thought about it for a moment. "Maybe, she'll let us raise it." It might solve all of their problems. Chase wouldn't have to be a mother and Britain would finally get to be one.

Britain rolled over to face her husband. "And where does leave Jeff? I can't imagine he'd just give up that easily."

Dave held Britain tighter. "I don't know, Babe. I don't know."


	15. Skeletons

Skeletons

As she walked down the stairs, she noticed her father sitting on the couch reading his newspaper. She tried not making any noise, but he looked up at her anyway. Chase was relieved when he put the paper down and opened his arms, to which she ran into. She was tired of crying, so she wouldn't do it anymore; but her daddy was there, so she couldn't help it.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She said as she laid her head on his chest. "I never wanted you to be disappointed in me."

Dave rocked his daughter in his arms and comforted her the only way a daddy can. "It's ok, Princess." He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you."

"I don't want a baby, Daddy. I just want things the way they were." She wondered how he could not hate her. Britain and Jeff did; hell, she hated herself right now. "Is that being selfish?"

He shook his head. "No, but I don't think that you're not considering what Jeff wants. I talked to him and he's pretty torn up about this."

"I'm just not ready. Were you ready to be a parent at my age?" Chase sat up straight and looked at Dave.

"No, but I did it. I was your age when I married your mother and I adopted you. I was twenty one and I had a two year old." He smiled and pushed her blonde hair behind her ear. "I gave up my entire childhood to become your Daddy. And you know what? It was the smartest thing I ever did; I wouldn't change one thing about it." He picked up her hands and held them in his. "I'm not saying it was easy, but it was worth it. It _can_ be done, and as much as I hate the idea of Jeff being this child's father; I know that he will be there to help you. He loves you Princess, he loves your baby."

Chase started to tear up again. It finally took this for her father to see Jeff as something more than the man who took away his little girl. "I don't know, Daddy. I'm so scared."

"I'm not telling what to do, but if you need help with the baby; I'm here. If you want to check out adoption; I'm here." He could feel tears building behind his own eyes. "If you want not to have it; I'll take you to wherever you need to go and I'll bring you back home. And I will never love you any less or think any differently about you."

"I hurt Jeff… I hurt him so bad." All she wanted to do was call him and make sure he was alright. But she couldn't, not when she wasn't alright herself.

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John drove with the car stereo off. He couldn't stop thinking about the last conversation he had with Christina. He couldn't believe he was on his way back to her house for more verbal abuse. All he did was tell her he loved her, it's not like he told her that he didn't want to see her anymore or that he was cheating on her. The words I love you were supposed to make her happy; it was supposed to move their relationship to the next level. That is, if she felt the same.

But she did feel the same, he was sure of it. They wouldn't have been seeing each other this long if she didn't have _some_ feelings for him. It had been three weeks and he hadn't seen or talked to her. She wouldn't return his phone calls, or emails, and now he was fed up.

As he pulled up in front of her house, he noticed _him_ standing on the porch with X. "What the fuck is he doing here?" He asked out loud. In a rush, he slammed the car in park and turned off the ignition. He didn't even ask questions as he took her front steps two at a time, and before he knew it he was standing on the landing listening to them talk to each other.

Carlito handed X a small gift bag and smiled. "Thanks, but you didn't have to do this." She said taking the bag from his hand.

"I know, but I wanted to. Open it." He leaned against the railing waiting for her to open the present.

X found the small box and opened it. Inside there was a thin gold chain and hanging from it was a charm that read, mi corazón. She looked up and her chin quivered. "How'd you know?" She tried to keep the tears from coming to her eyes.

Carlito just laughed. "I know a lot. So, it's ok?"

"It's beautiful." Christina walked over to him and gave him a warm hug. "Gracious, Carly. No sé lo que haría sin ti." _'Thank you Carly. I don't know what I'd do without you.'_

"Y nunca tendrás que descubrir." _'You'll never have to find out.'_

John cringed as he slowly walked up the second set of stairs. "So that's why you can't tell me you love me? You're too busy getting gifts and professing your love to this motherfucker…I don't know why the fuck I wasted my time."

Carlito turned around. "John, man…it's not what you think."

"Fuck you. You supposed to be my boy. How long you been tappin' that ass?" He turned to face Christina. "Is it good? Do he make you scream, have your ass all up in the air?"

"Stop it." She said annoyed. "I am so sick of you accusing me of shit. If you can't come to house and act like you got some fucking sense, then you can't come here anymore. Who I see and what I do is none of your fucking business."

"¿Él no sabe, él?" _'He doesn't know, does he?' _Carlito asked turning toward her. "Chinga Xaveria, me dejó te dice." '_Shit Xaveria, let me tell him._'

"No. It's none of his fucking business." She replied before kissing Carlito on the lips and then walking back into her house.

Carlito turned toward John and shook his head. "It's not what you think."

"And I'm supposed to believe you? Every fucking time I turn around you're with her. What the fuck else am I supposed to think?"

Carlito shook his head as he started down the steps. "Believe whatever you want; but if she was my girl, I'd trust her enough to tell me what was up."

John watched him walk away then back up at the front door. He sucked in his breath as he prepared for the argument that was either going to save their relationship or completely rip it apart.

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Dave sat around waiting for Britain, still unable to get the events from the night before out of his mind. He couldn't figure out where things went so wrong. His life at home was less than perfect, his ex-wife and his new wife hated each other, his two youngest daughters couldn't even be in the same room together, his oldest daughter was pregnant and didn't want her baby, his wife couldn't get pregnant and would talk to him about it…just a few months ago when they got married, things couldn't have been better. Now everything was falling apart.

"Britain!" He yelled through the house for her. "Come on…we're going to be late."

"So!" She yelled back. "You see half of these guys everyday anyway."

"Britain Magdalena Weis-Batista, bring your cute little ass down here!" He yelled. "Why is your name so long? You should drop one."

Britain slowly walked down the stairs and smiled. "The only thing I'm dropping is you."

Dave couldn't stop his huge grin. She was stunning in her silver spaghetti strap dress. The top half of the dress was form fitting, hugging each one of her curves to perfection, but the bottom was loose and danced playfully around her knees with each step she took. The plunging neck line, put a modest amount of cleavage on display, but that played second fiddle to the single tear shaped diamond pendant that she wore around her neck. The necklace laid in the center of her chest and the glimmer from the diamond lit her skin like a spotlight. Her long hair was pulled up into a French twist and only a few tendrils fell around her neck. She wore his favorite strappy heeled sandals, showing off her beautifully French pedicured toes…the same heels that he so often asked her to wear even if she was just wearing shorts and a tank top. Those shoes had already seen so much action, and without a doubt, they would later on too. She matched his charcoal grey suit beautifully. He definitely would be the envy of all of professional wrestling this night.

"Is this ok?" She asked as she reached the bottom of stairs. "I could change."

He shook his head and wrapped his arms around her. The smell of vanilla hit his nose immediately. "You know, we could be late. I see those guys all the time." He leaned down and gently brushed a kiss on her neck. "And we could take that dress off so it doesn't get messed up, but you could leave those heels on and that necklace…we really don't have to go at all."

Britain kissed Dave. "As much as I don't want to go to this thing, I didn't spend an hour on my hair, just so you could mess it up." She pulled away and looked at him. She reached for his shirt and started to unbutton the top two buttons. "That's better…I like to see some skin on you."

"You could see a whole lot more." He smiled, bringing his hands around to her backside. "About 12 inches more in a few minutes."

"Yeah right, inchy. Come on, let's get this over with." She grabbed his hand with a smile and led him out the door.

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"Tell me what's going on." John paced the living room. She was sitting there too calm, pretending like she had done nothing wrong. "What would you think if you were me? Every time I turn around, that guy's in your fuckin' face. I tell you that I love you and you kick me out. You don't talk to me for damn near a month and I show up and you're fuckin' with him again, then you have the fuckin' nerve to kiss that bitch in front of me."

Christina shrugged. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit. I know something's going on. I'm not fuckin' stupid. If you want to be with him, just say so and stop wasting my damn time."

X stood up to her 5'4" glory and looked him in the eye. "Listen…I don't appreciate you showing up here unannounced. I don't appreciate you insulting my friend and I damn sure don't appreciate you grilling me like you were my fucking father. I don't owe you shit. You think because we sleep together you own me? Fuck that. You don't run shit over here."

John was floored to say the least. He sat on the sofa and tried to figure out what he could say to make her understand. "So that's all we have? You're such a good liar that you're actually starting to believe that shit. We have so much more than sex. I love you and you love me, but for some reason you won't admit it. Is it Carlito? Miklo…what?"

She shot him a look and instantly her body tensed. "Don't you say his name. You don't have that right." How dare he mention Miklo when this argument was about them? John crossed the line.

"Miklo, Miklo, Miklo, Miklo. I don't care how many times I say it Ma, he ain't comin' back. I know you loved him and wanted a life with him, but he's gone. I'm here tryin' to fill that space."

Tears instantly came to her eyes. "You could never replace him and damn you for saying that. He was the love my life, he was everything to me. What the fuck makes you think you could fill his shoes? You think because you wet my ass that gives you the right to tell me to let him go? You could never be him, because he knew me. _You_ don't know shit about me. He would have trusted me, when I told him that nothing was going on with Carly. He would've respected the fact that I said, I don't want be with you anymore."

"I don't even know why I'm here. You wanna be with dude, go ahead. I don't give a fuck no more." John got up and slammed the door. As he made it to his car, he thought of a hundred ways to get her back. John Cena didn't get hurt by women; John Cena never let a woman get close enough to hurt him. But there was something X that made John keep coming back for more and he would damned if he was going to let her walk out of his life that easily.

Christina sat on her couch and cried. She should just tell him, but she was ashamed. How dare he speak of Miklo; he had no right. He didn't know the first thing about him, or the life that they shared. John wouldn't understand about all the shit that happened after he died, or why things were so fucked up with her family now. He wouldn't understand about Carlito and truthfully it was none of his business. Only a few people knew the truth and it wasn't because she was ashamed; she needed to protect her what was theirs.

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Britain held her glass of champagne tightly as she walked across the room. She saw so many faces that she remembered, a lot were the guys that she had met through Dave and others were the ones she knew from a past life. Luckily, there were no signs of _him_.

_Maybe that bastard didn't get invited._ She looked around the room and spotted Jericho and Jess. Smiling, Britain excused herself from Dave and walked over. She hadn't seen Jess since the wedding. "You look great. Those babies must be keeping you busy."

Jess smiled and nodded. "Yeah and asshole's never home. I get a work out." She poked her tongue at Jericho. "So, you got dragged to thing too huh?"

"Yeah, Dave's living out his OVW days. But it beats staying home." Yeah…home sucked right now. Chase was at home, Chase was the constant reminder that she couldn't get pregnant, Chase the one that refused to see how blessed she was.

A soft hand to the back of Britain's shoulder forced her to turn around. "Oh my God." She said flashing her killer smile. "Kevin Nash, how long has it been?" She reached up on her tip toes and hugged the giant man. "All the hairs gone." What was with these guys cutting their beautiful hair? First Jericho, then Dave…now Kevin. This was bullshit.

"I haven't seen you in 10 years. You look great Baby Doll." Kevin twirled Britain around and hugged her again. "I heard you got married; you even let Hunter in the wedding."

"That was all Dave. I had nothing to do with that shit." _Kevin Nash…God if I wasn't seeing Marcus at that time, I would have been so on that. _"I can't believe your still friends with that asshole."

Kevin laughed. "Well you know…us assholes stick together. I still hang out with Sean and Shawn too. We don't see each other as much, but we're still tight." Kevin put his drink down and grabbed Britain's hand. "I know somebody how would shit if he saw you now. Come on."

Britain looked back for Dave, but he was too busy talking to Brock and Molly to pay attention. Reluctantly she followed Kevin outside on the back lawn, but stopped dead in her tracks when she came face to face with Marcus.

Britain looked up at Kevin. "What is this?" Her voice sounded like she couldn't believe that he would bring her to see Marcus.

Kevin was confused. "I thought you'd wanna see Steve. He's not really going by Sting these days." Kevin leaned down to whisper. "You know…the whole God thing."

Britain nodded, but never took her eyes off of Marcus. As soon as she noticed that he advanced toward her, she turned around to find Dave. She wanted to go, she didn't want be there anymore. She looked around, but Dave wasn't where he was standing just a few minutes ago. As she scanned the grounds and the house from the window, she noticed Marcus was right next to her and she had run out of places to go. As her back hit the railing, her heart raced.

"You look good Sweetness." Marcus said with a killer smile on his face. Marcus 'Buff' Bagwell, was still as sexy as he was the day she met him. His body was still a sculpted work of art, he still was impeccably groomed. He even held that same devilish smirk on his face and those eyes that danced with trouble. Everything about him that she adored so long ago scared the shit out of her now. "So, why didn't I get invited to the wedding?" He asked moving closer to her.

"What do you want?" She looked around the room for anybody to come and talk to her. She didn't want be near him, not ever again.

Marcus shrugged. "Now, Sweetness, we go back too far to be like that now. All that shit is in the past. Let's leave it there." There was still the same threatening tone in his voice. "I thought about calling you a few times, but I didn't know what to say."

"Don't ever think about calling me. You said everything you needed to say already." She tried to walk away from him, but he wouldn't let her go. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her until she bumped up against him. "Let go of me." Her voice was just above a whisper as the fear took over. "I'll scream for Dave if you don't let go."

Marcus smiled. "Don't piss me off, Britain." He stepped in closer to her, still holding to her wrist. "I just want you know that I'm sorry things didn't work out with us. We had a good thing going." He boldly reached out to touch one of the tendrils falling at her neck with his free hand. "If you ever get tired of that _husband_ of yours, I might be willing to forgive you."

"I believe my wife asked you to let her go." A deep voice said from behind Marcus. Dave looked down and Britain and noticed that she snatched her arm away. "You ok, baby?" He didn't know what was going on, and he really didn't care. All he knew was this guy had his wife backed up against the railing and she didn't look happy about it.

"Yeah." She said moving around Marcus and safely into Dave's arms. She nodded her head nervously. "I'm fine."

Dave's gaze hardened at the smaller man in front of him. "You don't hear to well, do you?" He never let his eyes lift from Marcus'. He gently scooted Britain to the side and stepped in closer to Marcus.

"Baby…I'm fine." She forged a smile as she rested her hand in the center of Dave's chest. "Really."

Dave didn't even look at her; he was too busy boring a hole through Marcus' brain. "You want to tell me, why you had her backed up against a railing…why you felt the need to touch her?" There was an eerie calm in his voice, and anybody that knew him, knew it was the calm before the storm.

Marcus smiled; he wasn't the type to immediate easily. "Britain and I go way back…ain't that right, Sweetness?" He let his eyes fall from Dave's and onto Britain's. "Does she still have that cute little mole, right on the inside of her left thigh?"

That was about all Dave was going to stand for. For him to be as big as he was, he was fast. Marcus didn't know what hit him, but 315 pounds of anger quickly found him with enough force to knock the wind out of him as he was speared to the ground.

It took Hunter and Kevin to pull Dave off of Marcus. He never hit him, but driving him into the ground, gave the same effect. "Get the fuck off me." Dave snatched his arm away from Hunter and straightened his suit jacket. He looked down at the ground and leaned over Marcus. "If you ever touch my wife again, I will fucking kill you."

Before Britain could protest, Dave took Britain by the hand and led her back into the house so that he could examine her wrist.

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John sat out in his car for a little over a half hour before he got up the nerve to go back inside. This shit was X wasn't over and he didn't travel all of this damn distance just to let it end like that. As soon as he walked into the house, he quietly sat down next to her on her couch and saw for the first time since he had met her that she was crying.

Xaviera Christina Perez didn't cry…she was too tough. But the thought of John just leaving like that…of all the shit she had been dealing with…she was tired. "I don't know what you want from me." She said still not turning to face him.

"How bout the truth." It was as good a place to start as any. "Are you sleeping with Carlito?"

X shook her head. John could deal with that, at least this time, he believed her. "Then why are you always with him?"

She wouldn't look at him. He wasn't supposed to see her cry; Britain was the only one who ever saw her cry. "He's helping me with something." She admitted quietly.

John really wasn't up for all the games; but for the sake of argument, he was going to play. "With what?" There was a calm hostility in the way that he spoke. His tone of voice reflected that he was sick of bullshit answers and all he wanted was to know how she felt.

When she didn't answer, John felt himself get angry. "I'm sick of this, Chris. I'm supposed to your man, but why you gotta go to _him_ to help you with somethin'? Why can't you come to me? If you gotta problem, I can help you with it…you ain't gotta run to Carlito."

"You can't help me with this."

"Why, cause you don't want me to? So what, he knows you better than me?" This wasn't supposed to turn into another argument. But it was so far past talking at this point.

X turned to face him. "You don't shit about me. You know what I let you know."

"I know you. I know you're scared because dude died and now you're afraid to feel something again. I know that every time you look at me, you hold a little of you back. I know you."

How arrogant was this asshole? He didn't know her, not like thought he did.

"Yeah…you _really_ know me. Did you know that it was my fault that Miklo died? Did you know that the only reason he went out that day was because I yelled at him? Did you now that he never got to see his daughter be born?" She could tell by the look in his eyes that he had no idea who she was or what she had been through. "Yeah John. I gotta a kid. The little girl you met…Ave, she's my daughter. I wasn't fucking babysitting… And since you _know_ me so fucking well, did you know that she thinks I'm just a good friend of the family? She calls _his_ mother, Mami and she calls me Tia. That's all I am to her…Auntie Christina. Or how bout this, did you know that I only see her one weekend a month and two holidays a year, and that I send her money and I've saved so she can go to any fucking school she wants when she's older?" She let a sick smile cross her face, because it all she could do not to bawl. "And I bet you didn't know that I can't stand to be around my fucking kid, because she looks so like him that it hurts." At that admission, Christina broke down. "So go ahead John, tell me how fucking well you know me."

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Dave stood in the doorway of his bedroom watching Britain get undressed. They hadn't said anything to each other since they left Bischoff's home. He waited; waited for her to tell him what that whole scene was about. But she didn't, she stood at her dresser taking off her jewelry acting as though nothing had happened.

"Are you just going to stand there and look at me all night, or are you going to talk to me?" She couldn't take his eyes questioning her. She wanted to talk to him, but she knew that right now he was too high on adrenaline.

Dave still didn't say anything, but he clinched his jaw so tightly that it was giving him a headache. He rested his head on the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest.

Britain turned around to face him. "What? Just fucking ask." If it was one thing she didn't like it was hovering, and Dave always hovered. She walked over to the bed and flopped down. "You knew I use to date a guy from WCW…well that was him."

Dave remained impassive…she wasn't answering the right questions. That little piece of information was obvious. "What was that about?"

"He's an asshole. That's all...he grabbed me, you showed up, that's all that happened." She had hoped that was enough to calm him down, but somehow she knew it wasn't.

Dave shook his head and stood up straight. "I'm tired of the lies Britain. Tell me what that was about."

Britain shrugged and bit her lip. She knew exactly what he meant. "Nothing Dave."

"Then why were afraid of him? You were in a place surrounded by a bunch of guys you know, Kevin was there, Hunter, Jericho, _me_…and you were petrified. Don't tell me it was nothing. What was that about?" He was a few seconds short of losing his temper. They both knew when Dave lost his temper things weren't pretty.

"Baby, I'm fine."

Without saying anything, he turned on his heel and walked down the stairs. He slammed the front door behind him so hard, he could hear the pictures by the doorway shatter as they fell to the ground. As soon as he got in his car, he reached for his cell phone and Dave called the only person he could think of at the time, _Rebecca._


	16. Guilt

Guilt

Randy sat on the roof concentrating on rolling the joint by only moonlight. He knew it was a bad idea, but it always helped him when seemed like the world was against him. He had thought Jeff would be into it, because let's face it, the guy use to get high. One joint wasn't going to kill him and really, who likes to smoke alone?

The warmth of the lighter against Randy's face as he lit up did little to help everything that was on his mind. He had no idea why Chase called him out of the clear blue sky to ask him to check on Jeff. All he knew was that when he saw the guy, he looked like shit. A six pack of Beck's and a joint was the cure for an ailing man.

"This is bullshit." Randy choked in a deep breath and tried to let the smoke clear his head. "I mean, she's just a girl right? How the fuck can a girl cause me this much stress?" She turned his head and looked over at Jeff. "How'd you get past all that Dave shit and actually start dating Chase?"

Jeff shrugged. He had too much else on his mind. He lifted is charcoal to his sketch pad and carefully outlined Chase, making sure to show how her belly would look when she was in her ninth month. That was the closest that he would get to seeing her pregnant with his child.

"I've known her for years. She's always been trying to get me, why is this shit bothering me now? It was just one kiss." Randy reached his arm over and held the joint out for Jeff. "Come on dude, it's just me…I ain't gonna tell your twelve-step people."

Jeff considered for a moment and he was tempted. But if he did it, he would prove her right. If he got high, that meant that he wasn't responsible enough to be a father, he did need somebody to take care of him. Jeff looked at Randy and shook his head. "She's pregnant."

Randy's head whipped around. "Maddy? Oh shit."

"Chase. She's pregnant." Jeff sounded so distant when he said that. He should have been screaming from the roof of that hotel, letting all of Tampa, Florida know that his girl was going to have his baby. But instead he was sitting alone on the rooftop with Randy watching him get ripped.

Randy cracked open a beer. "That's great man. You didn't tell Dave did you? He's gonna shit."

Jeff pulled out a beer and opened the top. "He knows." Jeff put the bottle his lips and took a long swallow. It had been almost 18 months since he had a beer and man did he miss it. "She doesn't want it."

Randy looked confused. "But you guys are so happy…you're all in love and shit. I thought it was the guy that gave that 'I'm not ready for a baby' speech."

Jeff nodded as he drained the last of the beer in the bottle. "Yeah well, she doesn't want me or my kid. So fuck her." He reached for the joint in Randy's hand. "What the hell…I got nothing to lose now."

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"I'm so sick of these fucking games she's playing." Dave sat on the couch with his elbows resting on his knees. He rubbed his large hands over his face and looked over at Rebecca. "There is enough shit going on at my house right now, that the last thing I need is for my wife to be hiding shit from me. We're supposed to be in this together, you know? A united front against my ex-wife, against my daughters, and this thing with Chase and her baby. I thought Britain might take it really hard, but she's acting like Chase isn't even there. She won't even talk to her; when she walks in a room, Britain walks out. And now this shit. I don't even know this guy, but if you could've seen the look on her face. She was scared." He leaned back on the couch and rolled his head over so that he still faced her. "And this bullshit about nothing happened; am I fucking stupid now?"

Rebecca turned on the couch to face him. She played the 'concerned' friend role to a tee. Only her concern wasn't for Dave and Britain's relationship, it was that Britain keep fucking up. "You have to face the facts that Britain has secrets. We all have secrets. You can't make her tell you."

That was about the stupid thing he ever heard. "Bullshit. I don't have secrets from my wife. Anything she wants to know, I tell her. I love her and it's not just that 'she's really sexy and we have sex all the time' kind of love…it's that my body physically aches when she's not around, the sound of her voice even if she yelling at me makes me happy, kind of love. I don't understand, if she feels way about me, why she can't trust me."

Rebecca saw opportunity and took it. "Maybe she doesn't feel the same way." She noticed how his demeanor changed. "What you're talking about is the kind of love that scares the shit out people. Especially since you told me that she's had some pretty bad relationships in her life. If she's use to men using her, I don't care how much she loves you…there's a little part of her that's afraid to let you in all the way." Rebecca put her hand on Dave's and looked into his eyes. "Can you live with knowing that she may never love you back the same way that you love her?"

And to that question Dave shook his head. There was no way in hell he would believe that she didn't love him. Not with all the shit that they been through to get where they were. Dave knew that Britain loved him, without a shadow of a doubt. But still, what if she didn't love him as deeply as he did her? What kind of life would that be? He didn't want to find out.

Defeated he closed his eyes. "What am I supposed to do? I keep thinking that if I push her, she'll let me in on what's going on. Then I think, if I leave her alone, she'll come to me on her own. I don't know what to think anymore."

Rebecca moved in closer to Dave and spoke in whisper. "Stop thinking, so hard. Just let things play out the way they're supposed to."

When he opened his eyes and turned his head he was inches from her face. He could her peppermint breath on his lips and he knew at that moment that he should not have gone to see her. But it was too late, her lips were as warm as the thought they would be. He sucked in the small gasp she made as soon as they kissed. He could feel warm tingles trail his body when her hand caressed his cheek, drawing him further into her mouth. Her tongue teased his slowly as the sensual kiss they shared started to build. His hands found themselves wrapped in her hair, pulling her closer to his mouth with such force that she was now on her knees just inches from straddling his body. He could feel himself get hard by just the prospect of _being_ with her and it scared him. It was wrong…he knew it, but he was powerless to stop it. It was not until Rebecca pulled back looked at him with want, did Dave stand up and distanced himself from her.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that." She said nervously as she bit her lip. "I don't know why I did that."

She knew why, but she couldn't let him know that she knew. Rebecca wanted him; she wanted him to leave his wife for her. Britain didn't make him happy and she wasn't sure if she could, but she wanted to try.

"I'm gonna go." He said still not acknowledging the fact that he allowed her to kiss him or that he kissed her back. He actually enjoyed sharing an intimate moment with another woman. People may kiss all the time on TV and it didn't mean anything, but Dave knew that this kiss meant something. It meant that he was afraid that he could actually cheat on his wife.

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Chase gathered all of the courage she could muster and then she slid the card key into the lock. She paused a second before actually opening the door, but once she did she silently stepped into the hotel room and clicked the door behind her. It still looked the same, the bed was made and obviously not slept in, and Jeff's suitcase was still in the corner, unopened. The room was dark, except for only a few candles were lit and she smelled the distinct aroma of incenses. As she walked over to the table, to put down her key, she noticed Jeff's sketch pad right away. She let her fingers trace the drawing he made of her and then instinctively touched her hand to her stomach.

She scanned the room and noticed that Jeff wasn't there. But the movement from the drapes in front of the sliding glass door to the balcony moved with breeze. Slowly Chase made her way over to the balcony and poked her head outside. She had a million thoughts as soon as she saw him, but not one of them was of something she could say to him to make things right.

He looked so small sitting on the ground. He had his legs drawn up to his chest and his head rested on his knee. He wore only a pair of blue warm up pants and though it was a bit breezy, he seemed unaffected as the cool air hit his mostly naked skin. Jeff's long blonde and blue stripped hair hung over his legs and danced wildly as the wind blew. He was defeated, he was truly a broken man and it was because of her.

Chase sat down next to him quietly and softly touched her hand to his back. When his head rolled in her direction, he flipped his hair back from him face but never lifted his head. Lazy green eyes told her everything she needed to know about the state that he was in. Those lazy green eyes were red at the iris, he had to concentrate to keep them open after every time he blinked. Chase knew immediately how Jeff had been handling their break up.

"I fucked up Chase." He said quietly taking long blinks in between his words. "You were right…I ain't daddy material."

Her heart broke for him. She leaned in and rested her chin on his arm. "I never said that. I think you'd make a wonderful father; _I'm_ not ready for this. I'm sorry, Jeff."

Jeff gave her a half smile. "You ain't got nothin' to be sorry for. I'm the one that fucked up." He finally lifted his head and looked out over the balcony and on to the street. "I promised you I'd be careful, and I got you pregnant. I told you I would take care of you, but I can't. I'm the fuck up, not you."

Chase had never seen Jeff in this state before. This is what Matt tried to warn her about all those months ago, when she had gone to his house for his 30th birthday. Matt had warned her that if she wasn't in it for the long haul, then she needed to bail out. Jeff didn't handle things well; when things got too much for him to take, he needed help…the chemical sort is the kind of help that he most frequently sought.

"You can't keep doing this." Chase touched his face and brought it around to look at her. "Every time things don't go your way, you can't do this to yourself…you can't do this to _us_."

"There ain't no us, not no more." He pulled her hand down from his face and put it on her lap. "When you decided I wasn't good enough for you or our baby, that pretty much killed us."

He wasn't going to make this easy, but in his altered state, he wasn't trying to give her grief. He had simply lost his inhibitions, the filter in his brain to stop him from saying something hurtful was just temporarily turned off. Truthfully, she deserved it; she deserved to hurt just as much as he did.

"I don't want us to be over. I just want you to see this from my point of view. I'm scared; I don't know what to do. I don't want to hurt you, but I don't a baby either." There was no easy choice for her to make. "I need to worry about if you're going to stay sober if the baby has colic, or what if the it's sick…can you handle that? Because right now, you're not showing me that you can handle it. We had an argument and you got high…how am I supposed to deal with all of this? I'm only one person; I can only take so much."

Jeff narrowed his eyes into slits. "We didn't just have an argument. You told me you don't want my child and because it's in you, there ain't nothin' I can do about that." His voice quivered as he spoke, but he didn't care. "I didn't get high because I can't handle it; I got high cause I don't wanna feel anymore. I love you and that baby and you ripped my fuckin' heart out. You want to kill my kid…I don't wanna feel pain like this. So if a few beers and few joints is gonna take it away, I'll get high every fuckin' day for the rest of my fuckin' life."

She felt the tears run down her cheek, but truthfully there was nothing she could say to defend herself. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"What did you think it was gonna do? You don't how hard it was for me before I met you. You showed me the kind of person I want to be…I wanted to be everythin' to you, and I tried. But it ain't good enough." Jeff's tears were coming fast and furious. He couldn't have stopped them if he wanted to, yet his voice remained calm. "We made a life together. We made that baby out of love. How could claim to love me enough to make a baby with me, but then hate me so much that you won't have it?"

Chase shook her head. This had nothing to do with him, this was her choice. "I don't hate you; I hate myself because I'm scared. I hate that I'm not responsible enough to put my wants aside and put everything I have into being a mother. I hate the fact that might lose you because of this."

"Ain't no might, darlin'." He rested his head back on his knee, but never took his eyes off of her. "I can't be with you if you do this."

"You can't guilt me into keeping the baby. I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet, but you will not bully me into keeping it. I won't let you. This is my life, my body and it's my choice." She felt herself getting angry with him. How dare he give her an ultimatum?

"But it's my baby, too." He defended. "And if I have to fight you every step of the way, so be it. I never wanted anything more in my life and how dare you try to take that away from me. I may be perfect like you, Chase, but I got feelings damn it, and right now the only feelin' I have is for my child. So excuse me if I don't give a shit about how scared you are…I'm scared too. I'm scare that you're gonna have an abortion and never give me the chance to know _my_ child." Jeff stood up and looked down at her. "I wanted us to be to a family, I wanted to give you everythin'; if you won't accept that, at least be mother enough to let me give it all to _my_ baby."

Chase sat alone on the balcony trying to figure out what she was going to do.

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John pulled Christina into his arms and let her cry. He had no idea that she had been through so much. He had no idea that she carried this around with her and never once let him know what she was going through. She had been right about one thing; he didn't know her…not like he thought he did.

"I don't know what to say." He rocked her in his arms and for the first time in his life he felt completely helpless. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

She pulled away from him and looked him in the eye. "How could tell you that I'm a bad mother? I killed my daughter's father. She'll never know him, because of me."

He was sure that in her mind that made sense, but he was having a hard time understanding it. "How is his death your fault? So you yelled at him, big deal. You said he was hit by a car, were you driving it? Cause if not, you didn't do anything wrong."

"You don't understand. He went to the store because I yelled at him. I was six months pregnant and I was having cravings. It was so fucking stupid. The last thing I told him was that he was an inconsiderate bastard, I was pregnant with his child and he was too lazy to go to the store and replace the box of cereal that he ate. He died over a fucking box of cereal." She ran her hand across her chin to catch the tears as they fell. "I knew he wouldn't argue back; he never did. Anything I wanted he would do. But I had to be in one my moods that day. So he got up and he put his hand on my stomach and smiled at me…that was the last time I saw him."

It was tragic that was true, but to torture yourself for this long over an accident was the real tragedy. "What about Ave? Why don't she know?"

Christina's voice was far away, as she thought about everything transpired. "Miklo was an only child. His parents took his death really hard. They never blamed me to my face, but I know they do. The first couple of months with her were so hard. She cried all the time, but I didn't want to touch her." She smiled when she thought about Ave. "She has his eyes…those fucking blue eyes and that dimple only in one cheek. Every time I looked at her, I cried. I was miserable because if I wasn't pregnant with her he would still be alive."

Christina got up and walked over to the package that Carlito dropped off. She picked up the box and sat back down next to John. "They offered to keep her until I got over my grief. I don't have any family anymore, so they were the next best thing. By the time I went to get her back, they didn't want her to go. They are so good to her, she's so happy with them. She doesn't need me."

"That's bullshit, Ma. She's your daughter. Don't you think she deserves to know that?"

"She's 11 years old. She doesn't know what's best for her. Me being her mother from a distance is for the best; only I get no say in her life." She ran her hand over the velvet on the box and closed her eyes. "I don't get to pick the schools she goes to, or say when her curfew is. I don't know most her of her friends. They try to include me, but I stay away. It's not that they don't want me in her life…I don't want her in mine."

No wonder she was so guarded. She had lost so much and holding back how she felt was the only way to stop her from hurting. "How's Carlito fit in?" It was burning on his mind. She wasn't sleeping with him, but he had something to do with her daughter.

"They were best friends. He was younger than we were, but it didn't matter to Miklo; Carly was his _carnal_. He called him to walk to the store with him that day. Carly saw everything. He says he was busy talking to some girl and that's why he didn't cross the street too. But he was right there when he died. Miklo made him promise to look out for his girls." She lifted her eyes to John and pleaded with his. "That's why he always around. He's just looking out for us. I made him her Godfather, and he gives me money for her. He bought her a present for her birthday." She opened the box and showed John the necklace with a smile on her face.

"Mi corazón. What's that mean?" John felt like shit. All of this time he had been accusing her of sleeping with Carlito when really the two of them were helping each other with their grief. Why couldn't he just have kept his damn mouth shut?

"It means my heart. That's what he always said to her when I was pregnant. Every night, he'd say, _te amo mi corazón. I can't wait to meet you_." X took back the box and sat it on the coffee table. She found strengthen in her voice, she had it explain it so that John would understand. "Well because of me, he never did get to meet her. So you see why you can't love me? The people I love die; they leave me. My parents are gone, Miklo's gone. All I have left is Ave and if I don't get too close to her, she'll be safe. That's why I can't love you. Because if I give you my heart, you could leave. I can't take losing somebody else."

John was amazed at the twisted ass-backward way that she justified not being with him. She thought that by keeping a certain amount of distance from him, she would keep him safe. It was almost as if, she thought she was cursed. "You gotta give me that chance. If you keep finding ways to distance yourself from me, that's gonna make me leave. I'll admit, I ain't gone about this the right way. I ain't use to having to chase a woman, they usually come to me. But trust me; I wouldn't be here if I didn't think we had something. I love you and I ain't goin' nowhere."

John leaned over and kissed her softly on the lips. "I promise… I ain't goin' nowhere." He whispered his promise to her and rested his forehead on hers.

She choked back her sob and finally let her guard down in his embrace. "I love you, too."

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After sitting in his driveway for an hour, Dave finally walked into his house. What the fuck did he do? How could he kiss her? Why didn't he stop it? Why didn't he know that she had feelings for him? How was he supposed to face Britain? He was sure that she would be able to tell. She could always tell everything about him.

He walked up the stairs with his head down and paused before he opened the bedroom door. He had braced himself for an all out war, but he found her in the bed, laying on her side; presumably asleep.

He changed his clothes and laid in the bed staring at the ceiling. This night went from bad to worse and he couldn't figure out how it happened. His mind danced back to sitting on Rebecca's couch. He could still hear the soft music playing in the background and remembered how relaxed he was just talking about his problems. But lying in the bed next to his wife, he could feel the tension build inside him. And it wasn't just the tension of this thing with Marcus, or with Chase…it was the tension of what might have happened if Rebecca didn't pull away.

Britain rolled over and tilted his head toward hers. "I'm sorry I made you angry." Her voice was so small; she had never been on the receiving end of his anger like that before. "You never walked out on me before…I didn't know if you were gonna come back." The thought that Dave could be so upset with her that he would leave for good, scared her. It solidified, why he could never know about why she couldn't have children…and most definitely about Marcus. If he was capable of getting that pissed over her not telling him about why he grabbed her, what would he do if he knew the whole story?

Dave pulled her up so that she could rest her head on his chest, he always felt as ease when she was in his arms. "I will always come back." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. "I just worry about you. I want to know what going on with you."

Britain closed her eyes. He didn't need to know, she was doing this to protect him from himself. "You have enough to worry about; you don't need my problems too."

"Just promise me that when you can talk to me, you will. I'll stop pushing you, but I don't know how I'm supposed to help you if you don't let me know what I'm fighting." He felt guilty as soon as her lips touched his. How could he have ever kissed another woman? Her lips were made for his because otherwise they wouldn't fit so perfectly. He was never going to talk to Rebecca again, there was too much temptation and he wanted his marriage to work. "They aren't your problems, they're ours. You and my girls are my life. I don't know what I would do with you."

Britain closed her eyes after returning her head to its rightful place on his chest. _You'll never find out._


	17. Birthday Surprises

_Author's Note: I hate writing scenes with a bunch of characters in it, because it's too hard to keep up with who's speaking at the time. So all of this happens during the same time, but it's just concentrating on different conversations. I'll try not to do a group scene again...it gets confusing._

Birthday Surprises

Dave stood at the door with his mouth wide open. It's as if all of the thoughts in his head stopped and all he could hear was his heart race. _What is she doing here?_ He quickly looked behind him and then back at the porch. Rebecca was standing there, holding a bottle of wine, smiling.

"Um…I don't think you should be here." He said closing the door behind him. Didn't she know that Britain was in the house? Didn't she know that if Britain found out they kissed, she would beat her ass? No, Rebecca couldn't know; nobody except those really close to them knew the full extent of her temper. It's not like she went around just beating people either…it took a lot to get her to that point; but when she was hot…she was on fire.

Rebecca looked confused. "Your wife invited me for dinner." Admittedly, she thought it was setup at first, but after talking to her on the phone, Rebecca figured what the hell. If nothing else, it was chance to scope out the competition. That old saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer couldn't have been truer.

Dave rested his head against the door. He was being punished, he was sure of it. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Look, what happened, it was a mistake. I was wrong; it won't happen again." The lies dripped off her lips like honey. She had every intention of doing it again and if the opportunity presented itself, she would definitely take it further. She wanted him and she was going to have him.

"Hey…come in." Britain said as she pulled the front door open. She pushed Dave aside and motioned for Rebecca to enter the house. As soon as she did, Britain turned to Dave and slapped him in the chest with the back of her hand. "You're so rude."

He shook his head at her. "Why didn't you tell me you invited her?"

Britain shrugged as she walked toward the kitchen. "I didn't think anything of it." She placed the bottle of wine in the fridge and turned to face Dave. "Besides, everyone else is coming over. I thought it would be nice. You said she doesn't really know anybody here, and she seems nice enough. What, you don't like her?"

That was loaded question. The problem was he _did_ like her…probably a little too much. "I just thought your birthday dinner would be just with family."

Britain laughed. "Ok, Randy might be _your_ retarded cousin, but he's not my family. John…he's more of the adopted brother that I wish I could get rid of. Besides, the girls cooked all this food and you're leaving tomorrow; somebody's gotta eat it."

He couldn't say anything, not if he didn't want to arouse her suspicion. "I just wish you would have told me."

"Just like I wish that you would tell me what you got me for my birthday?" She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. She looked so cute, with her pink Capri pants and tank top that he was sure was Alli's when she was five. She gave him a pout that made her already pouty bottom lip stick out more. He wanted nothing more than to suck that lip into his mouth; but he knew what that would lead to. "I promise I'll act surprised when you formally give it to me. Just tell me what it is."

Dave couldn't help but to smile. She was always like this when it came to presents. She was worse than his children at Christmas. "Nope. You'll have to wait until later."

"That's not fair. I told you what I got you."

"That's because you have no will-power. I asked one time and you couldn't wait to spill it. You waited 30 years to get to this birthday; you can wait another hour to get your present." He leaned down and kissed her, knowing that Rebecca was watching. If he had to be extra affectionate he would, just so that piranha would know how committed to his marriage he was.

Britain let out a soft moan as he kissed her and then pulled away with a dreamy look. "If you ever say that I'm 30 again, I swear I will never have sex with you as long as _you_ live. I'm 29, now and forever."

"Bullshit. You're 30, the big 3 – 0. I was 30 once, it's not that bad." His voice was full of a chuckle that he tried to keep inside. "Besides, you look damn good to be that old."

Britain's hand found its way to the back of his for a swift swat. "Fuck you…I'm not old."

He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Later…I plan on fucking you 21 again."

She laughed at his words as his hands came around to her backside. "Ok, now you're just being ridiculous. You know damn well your old ass, can't hang. I wouldn't want you to break your hip or anything."

The door bell ringing took Dave from getting the last word. As he walked to the door through the living room he made a point not to look at Rebecca.

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"So maybe I'm being a bitch, but why is she here?" X asked Britain as she helped her set the table for dinner, while Dave, John, Rebecca and Randy sat in the living room. Although she couldn't put her finger on it, something about Rebecca bothered her. "I don't know her, but I don't like her."

"You don't like anybody." Britain said smiling at her best friend. "She's Dave's friend. I was feeling generous on the day that I graced the world with my presence." She held one hand to her chest and the other out in the air as if she were a queen addressing her court. She couldn't help but to laugh at the face X made at her.

X looked around the table to the people sitting in the living room. "Well she's too pretty to be his _friend_. If John had a friend that looked like that, he couldn't be friends with her anymore." X walked around the table placing the silverware at each plate. She looked up at Britain and smiled. ""Te dije." _I_ _told him._

Britain's head came up quickly and met her eyes. "Que?" _What? _She could see the others walking into the dining room and did not want to chance them knowing what they were talking about.

"Te dije. Él sabe." _I told him. He knows._

"Ave?" Britain smiled when X nodded. "And."

"Él me dijo que él me ame." _He told me he loves me._ She couldn't contain her smile as Britain bolted around the table to hug her.

"Oh mi dios, Christina. Soy tan feliz para ti. ¿Esperar, tú lo aman también, a la derecha?" _Oh my God, Christina. I'm so happy for you. Wait, you love him too right? _

"Yeah." X felt herself smile when she felt John's arms come around her waist. She stood looking at Britain as he hugged her from behind. "Ahora es tu vuelta. Necesitas venir limpio; decir la verdad. Tenías razón, él no eres tan malo." _Now it's your turn. You need to come clean; tell the truth. You were right, it's not so bad._

"What are y'all talking about?" John asked leaning down to place a kiss on X's cheek.

Britain smiled and moved X out of the way, so that she could hug John. "You. I love you. I'm so happy for you." He didn't know what she was talking about, but he wasn't about to pass up a free hug from her. "You treat her right," She whispered in his ear, "cause if you don't, I'll get Dave to kick your ass."

Laughter filled the house as Dave's daughters brought the food to the table. Even if only for the day, things seemed to be back to normal between Chase and Britain. Granted, they still weren't speaking, but at least Britain didn't exit the room as soon as she walked in. As everyone sat down the door bell rang once again.

Britain opened the door and was glad to see that Jeff made it. She stepped toward him and wrapped him up in a warm hug. "I'm glad you came." Even if he and Chase were going through it, she knew they wouldn't get through it, if they weren't trying to reach a compromise, together.

"I don't think this is a good idea." He said quietly. He had been racking himself with guilt for the last five days. How could he get high? That didn't solve anything. He still felt like shit, if anything, it made him feel worse. He had woken the next day, hung over and depressed. But the only way to get rid of that was to get high again. But that would mean that as soon as that wore off, he would start feeling again. It would be a vicious cycle and he didn't want to go back to that. He chalked that night up to one bad choice and left it there. He called sponsor back in North Carolina and talked on the phone to him for four hours. He let it all out, all the hurt, all the disappointment, all the anger. And when it was over, he realized just as Chase needed to do what was best for her, just he needed to do what was best for him.

"It's a great idea." Britain took him by the hand and led him toward the dining room. As soon as they entered, everyone got quiet. She showed him his seat, which was next to Chase's and she stood guard daring anyone to question why he was there.

Chase was a nervous wreck. She didn't want to deal with him right now. "I'm not hungry." She said quietly attempting to slide her chair back from the table. But she stopped when she felt Dave's hand on hers. She looked into his eyes and saw him shake his head. "Daddy, please…"

"I don't wanna fight." Jeff said quietly. "I only came because Britain asked me too. I'll leave."

Britain stood behind his chair preventing him from moving. "You're not going anywhere. It's my birthday and I'm the princess for the day. I want everyone at this table to celebrate with me." She flashed her smile at Dave and nodded her head. No one was going to ruin this day for her, no matter how hard they tried.

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Randy could hardly swallow his food, knowing that Maddy was sitting next to him and Dave was only a few chairs away. What if Dave found out that he kissed his daughter? What if Maddy slid her hand across his leg again? She was trying to get him killed.

"So Maddy, what are you doing about prom?" Britain asked casually. "It's next month right?"

Maddy shrugged. She really didn't give a shit about prom; all she wanted to do was get the hell out of school. "I'm not going."

"Why not, Pumpkin?" Dave asked, looking over at her. It wasn't like her not to want to get dolled up and show off. "You don't have a date?"

Maddy shook her head. "It's stupid anyway…I don't want to go. I'm just looking forward to graduation."

Alli started to laugh. She couldn't resist the urge to rag on her sister in front of everyone, but the sharp look from Dave made her change her mind. Maddy sat down her fork and glared in Alli's direction.

"What are you laughing at?" Alli waved her hand as if to dismiss the fact she had been laughing. "No, I want to know. What's so funny?" The look Alli gave her was pissing her off. "You're such a dyke." She mumbled causing Randy to laugh.

"Stop it." Britain mouthed across the table to Maddy. "I think you should go; it's the last one. You'll never have times like you did in high school."

Randy considered the situation; Maddy was too young for him. She was still in high school, even if she was eighteen. She was a child; that was just nasty. But still high school and all, she _was_ eighteen. By law, she was a woman…and she certainly didn't act like she was a kid.

"Well, everybody's kinda expecting me to go with Randy and since I know he wouldn't go to my prom, I'm just not gonna go." Maddy looked down at her plate but could feel her father's eyes on her.

Dave looked at Maddy and his brain started to work overtime. "Why would they expect that?"

Randy's heart stopped beating at that very moment. He was sure this was the last supper; he was going to be crucified at any minute and he hadn't even had the chance to tell the people that he loved how he felt about them. He looked over at Maddy and pleaded with her eyes not to say anything.

Maddy was a seasoned liar and wasn't the least bit phased. "I saw him on my way to school the other day. He gave me a ride. Now everybody thinks I'm dating him." She turned to her to give Dave her innocent brown eyes; he fell for it every time. She didn't even pay attention to Alli shaking her head. "I tried to tell them we were just friends, but you know how stupid those kids are…"

Dave nodded. That answer was good enough for him, but Britain didn't look so convinced. She gave Maddy a face that said, _you're full of shit_; but she chose to keep quiet. "So, I'll miss my senior prom…no big deal."

Randy looked at Jeff who had a faintest hint of a smirk on his face, then over at John who was adamantly shaking his head. With a shrug, he spoke. "I'll go. When is it?" If nothing else, it would give him a chance to make her feel special and then he would let her know that although he was flattered by her crush, nothing could ever happen between them.

Maddy's head shot up. "Really? Oh my God. Really?" She threw her arms around Randy and hugged him, but not before hearing Dave cleared his throat. "I can't believe you'll go."

"We have to set some ground rules." Dave said seriously. "That's my daughter we're talking about."

"Dude, I know…it's just a dance. Besides, I value my face; I'm not trying to have you rearrange it. I'll be a perfect gentleman, she's like my _niece_." Just saying that made his stomach churn. He was not having familial feelings in other parts of his body when her arms snaked around his neck. But no matter how much he tried to deny it, he was happy that she was happy that he would be her date.

Britain then turned to Rebecca; she didn't want to have this Maddy conversation any more; she would wait until they were alone to do that. "So, Rebecca, tell me about yourself. How do you like Raw?"

She smiled and looked at Dave. "Um, let's see…I'm originally from Rhode Island, but I moved around a lot; I'm an Army brat. I always had a hard time making friends, so I was surprised when I came to Raw and bumped into to Dave. I mean literally, that's how we met; he bumped into me. But he's been so nice. He's introduced me to a lot of cool people and he's showing me the ropes." She looked at Dave and then lowered her eyes. "Raw's fun, it's definitely the best brand out there. The people there are so great and they're so generous."

"You're such a sweetheart." Britain said leaning over to kiss Dave's cheek. She couldn't help but to feel proud of him that he was taking her under his proverbial wing. If only she knew t wasn't his wing he had been thinking about putting her under.

At that moment, John happened to look up see the look between Dave and Rebecca. He had known Dave for a long time and only seen that look a handful of times. He made a mental note to himself to pull Dave up about that later.

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Chase sat at the table listening to all of the pleasantries, but inside she was dying. Jeff sat right next to her and hadn't uttered more than a few words to her. It was like she didn't even know him anymore. She knew he hated her right now, but really what could she do?

Slowly she felt her insides churn. _Jeff's_ baby didn't like when she ate…she was sure the baby hated her too. Quickly, she pushed her chair away and ran through the house to the bathroom on the first level. She was sick of this…sick of being sick, sick of being pregnant, sick of fighting with Jeff. She sat on the floor next to the toilet and pulled her knees to her chest and cried.

Jeff didn't make any noise as he opened the bathroom door. He had lied when he said he didn't care about how she felt. She was hurting and no matter how much he wanted her to keep the baby, he couldn't stand to watch her pain.

He knelt down on the floor beside her and pulled her into his arms. He felt his breath catch when her arms came around his neck and her tears hit his shoulder. He rocked with her and stroked her hair and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry." He didn't want to lose his baby, but he didn't want to lose them both. "I want to support you, but it's hard." He could feel his own tears pricking his eyes as he listened to her break down.

"I don't know what to do." She cried to him holding him tighter. "I want you to be happy, I want to love this baby; but I don't give up my life to be a mother." She pulled away and looked Jeff in the eye. "Help me figure it out."

His heart broke because for him there was no choice. "I can't, cause you know what I want. I ain't gonna change my mind. But I can't stand to see you like this."

"You told me once, that as long as I love you, we can get through anything. Well I haven't changed how I feel. I love you, so tell me how we get through this."

That was different. He told her that when they were fighting Dave. They were in love and a united force against him; but what were they supposed to do, when they were fighting each other. He sat back and rested his back against the sink in the small bathroom, pulling her into his arms as he did. In that moment, his brain searched for any plausible answer, but none would come. "I don't know Chase."

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Dave walked up the stairs not saying anything. It had been a good night, Britain had a good birthday, and she loved the weekend trip to the Keys that had given her as well as the Cartier bracelet. Everyone seemed to have had a good time…even Jeff had decided to stay the night with Chase. John and Christina were happy, Maddy got a prom date and Alli, and she was just Alli. So why was it at the end of this great day, did shit have to blow up?

It started when he and John went downstairs to shoot some pool. It only took him as long as they were out of earshot to ask him what was up with Rebecca.

"_Why she always in your face and don't give me that friends bullshit. I known you long enough to know that you don't look at a friend like that." John grabbed the cues while Dave racked the balls. "You hittin' that?"_

_Dave shook his head. "Are you crazy? I love my wife."_

"_I ain't ask you did if you loved B…I asked you, was you knockin' Rebecca down."_

_Dave stood up with his hands still bracing the table and looked John in the eye. "I'm gonna tell you this one time. I love my wife." He rarely lost his temper with John, but right now, he couldn't help it. But it was more than being called out…it was guilt._

"_Alls I'm saying is she don't look at you like she's a just a friend. If nothin' happened don't let it…but if it did, end that shit now." John squared his shoulders when he noticed Dave flex up. He knew Dave and he knew there was reason behind his hostility. "What the fuck are you thinkin'? You're married to my girl's best friend. You think I can keep this shit from her?"_

_Dave shook his head. He knew what John meant; you just couldn't keep stuff from them, it was against the laws of physics. Even if they didn't come out and ask you directly, they would get in your head until you felt like it was the only retribution. He ran his hand through his hair and looked John in the eye. "It was one kiss. I swear I don't know how it happened, but it's never happening again." He walked over to the leather couch and sat down. "I love Britain with every ounce of my soul. I don't know how it got that far."_

_John placed his hand on his hip and narrowed his eyes at Dave. "I should've known somethin' was up, cause every time I turn around…she's there." _

_No sooner did he say that did Rebecca find her way to the basement. She smiled when Dave looked up at her and then looked at John when Dave put his head down. She walked over to the table and held her hand out toward John for a cue. "Can I play?"_

"_No. But you can leave my boy alone. That woman upstairs means everything to him; he's built a life with her, and I'll be damned if you are gonna fuck that up." John's voice was harsh. He was usually so smooth with women, but he had learned through years of macking that sometimes you had to be little harsh to make them understand. _

_Rebecca squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "You don't know what you're talking about. We are just friends."_

"_Well listen to this 'friend', stay away from him. Cause if you hurt her, I'm ain't gonna stop her from whippin' that ass." John laid down the cue and walked up the stairs._

_Dave had done his best to try to ignore the tears in Rebecca's eyes, but he always held a soft spot for a woman crying. Against his better judgment, he walked over to her and put his hand on his shoulder. When she looked up at him, he couldn't help but to close his eyes against the feeling of her lips on his. He couldn't believe it was happening again. He pulled away and started toward the stairs, himself. "You need to leave."_

_He watched as Rebecca hugged Britain and wished her a happy birthday. He watched as Britain smiled at her and returned her hug. He thought he would be sick, when Britain told him that she liked Rebecca, and she was proud of him for looking out for her. _

As soon as he made it to their room, he noticed the candles and Britain sitting on the bed wearing a black silk teddy. How could he make love to her knowing that he had kissed Rebecca, not once but twice…knowing that he had enjoyed both times. He needed to figure this out without being dishonest to his wife. He had never made love to her just to pacify her; each time, no matter how kinky, freaky, hardcore or just plain gutter-butt skanky it was; it had meant something to both of them.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants and made his way to the bed. He sat next to her and ran his fingers over the hem of the nightgown. "This is nice…is it new?"

She nodded and turned toward him. In one swift motion, she sat on his lap facing him. "I had a good time tonight. Maybe being 29 again won't be so bad." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "So how about we get me knocked up tonight?" She kissed his neck and trailed her tongue up to his earlobe. "I did the test and I'm ovulating…the only thing I need now; is you."

Dave felt like shit. He couldn't make love to her, not with this Rebecca shit hanging over him. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her to look at him. "I'm tired Babe. Not tonight."

The look of disappoint on her face was enough to break his heart. "Please? I'll let you tie me again." She gave him a seductive smile before she kissed him.

He almost allowed himself to be overtaken by the feel of her lips on his and the slight grinding of her pelvis. But he couldn't get Rebecca off his mind. He couldn't figure out why she had that effect on him. "I'm tired."

"Fuck Dave…you've been tired every night this week. It's my birthday…you're leaving tomorrow…please?" She never had to beg him for sex before; something wasn't adding up. The last time they had made love was time when he was on the phone and it had been by no means long and sensual like they usually did it. He wasn't still mad about that night at Bischoff's, was he?

Dave kissed her and shook his head. "I'll tell you what. I'll be back in three days for the opening at your gallery, and when I come back…it's on. But right now, I'm exhausted." He smiled when she poked out her lip. "I'm telling you, on Friday, it's just you and me and this bed."

"Well what about the bed and the floor and the shower? And then there's the living room, the couch, the dining table, the kitchen counter, the garage, the truck, the patio…"

He laughed out loud at her request. "You have really high expectations of me, don't you?"

"It's been a while. You owe me and I plan to collect in every room of this house." She climbed off his lap and walked around to her side of the bed. "If you hear buzzing, don't worry about it. _Something's_ gonna fuck me tonight."

He smiled and shook his head, before heading to the bathroom. Once he closed the door, he leaned against the wall and ran his hands over his face. He had to sort this out and fast, because he couldn't take not being with his wife much longer.


	18. Not Above Begging

_Author's Note: I wasn't going to put this chapter in the story, but if I didn't I think the time line would have been thrown off. Anyway, there's more drama...I tried to lighten it up w/ a little Maddy/Randy part. I had no idea they would be such a hit. I actually hadn't planned on making much more out of them than a crush; but it's gotten my little mind racing and I know what I'm gonna do with them now. _

_Lil Miss Cena...you crack me up! I have never had a person get so involved in one of my stories that they threatened to jump in the tale and hurt a character, nor threaten to castrate a character of mine...and since you keep asking about Britain, here's a glimpse. I promise the next chapter will be the one that you have been asking about._

_Thanx for the reviews! _

_Shanny_

**_This chapter contains sexual content._**

Not Above Begging

Britain sat silently in the passenger's seat trying to figure out what was going on. It wasn't like Dave to be so distant, even if he did claim that this thing with Chase was the cause of it. It was bullshit and she knew it. She watched the tail blinkers of Chase's BMW go on, just as they approached the exit to Cameron and she knew it wasn't going to get any better.

Not so much was the trip to Cameron and ultimately confronting Jeff on her mind, but the weekend she and Dave spent in the Keys. What was supposed to be a relaxing, romantic weekend getaway turned into anything but. Normally when they would go away, the barely saw anything but the inside of their hotel room, but this trip was different. Dave made sure they spent every waking hour site-seeing, shopping, getting spa treatments, having extravagant lunches and fancy dinners. They were hardly alone during the trip. Of all the times she had been to the Florida Keys, she had never seen as much of it as she did that weekend; she fucking hated the Keys. It wasn't until the previous night, did they finally get some time alone, when he wasn't already asleep. .

_Dave leaned over Britain and kissed her softly on the lips. "Goodnight Babe."_

_She reached her hands to his head and held it there, so she could continue to feel his lips on hers. She wanted him so badly. She ran her fingers down his back and smiled when she heard a slight moan from him. "Make love to me." She searched his brown eyes for some sign of him still wanting her. _

_Dave looked at her face and his heart broke. He couldn't allow himself to do that, not when his dreams about Rebecca came every night, not when he had to force himself not to call her. "Britain…" he said softly rubbing his thumb across her cheek._

"_Please?" She whispered with desperation that she didn't think she'd ever have to use on him. She had always been able to turn him on, but over the last few weeks nothing worked._

_Dave considered the situation and kissed her softly again. "Are you ovulating?" _

_She shrugged. "I don't know…I don't really care. I want to be with you, for no other reason than I love you." She wanted to cry. She knew he loved her, so why did he keep rejecting her? _

"_I can't." He said sadly. It's not that he didn't want to, but in his mind he was cheating on her with his fantasies, he wouldn't make love to her while thinking about another woman; she didn't deserve that._

_Britain bit her lip sadly. "You wake up every day with morning wood. I know you can; but you won't…you don't want to. Are you still mad at me?"_

_Guilt and self-loathing go hand in hand. How could be so fucking selfish? He should have been able to get that bitch off his mind. "No, baby."_

"_Is it me? Is it the bruises from the shots? What?"_

_His brain scrambled to try to come up with an excuse. "It's all this shit with Chase. I know things are gonna be bad when we go there tomorrow. I can't stop thinking about it. It's not fair to you to be with you physically, if I'm not there mentally. I want us to be there together, ya know."_

"_I don't want to lose you. It's been almost a month…if you're not interested in me sexually anymore, you're gonna get bored with me. I miss you."_

_He knitted his brows and smiled at her. No matter how tough she was, she still had that underlying insecurity. "I could never get bored with you. Besides, I didn't marry you for the sex…although it's incredible. I married you for this…" He touched his fingers to her heart. "You stole mine the first day I met you."_

_She lifted her head and caught his lips with hers. Their kiss was deep and passionate and she hoped it would lead to more. "Please." She whispered into his mouth, closing her eyes against the feel of his hand trailing her body._

_He couldn't believe that he was doing this. She needed him and he couldn't be with her. The least he could do was to give her some satisfaction and if he had to struggle with his own celibacy he had no right to take it out on her._

_He continued to kiss her as his hand slid inside of her underwear. He started with small motions and once he noticed her body relax around the feel of his fingers, he pulled back from the kiss just to watch her face. "You are so beautiful."_

_Although his fingers always worked magic on her, this wasn't what she wanted. She wanted him, the way they always were. She wanted to feel his weight on her, his body slick with sweat, the salty taste of his neck as he moved inside her. She wanted to hear him moan and say her name the way he said it whenever he was about to release. Yeah, his fingers felt great, but it wasn't enough._

"_Please." She moaned as she felt them dip inside her. _

_He placed another soft kiss on her lips and smiled. "I love you." He knelt on the bed and removed her panties, then he gently placed her legs on his shoulders. If he couldn't completely make love to her, this was the next best thing. He loved the taste of her. Her softness was sweet on his lips, her hips rolled slightly making him moan with anticipation for her release; it wouldn't be much longer before this situation with Rebecca was resolved. But for now, this was all he could give her._

"_I want you inside me." She practically cried when his tongue found the most sensitive area on her entire body. She ran her fingers across his stubbly hair and tried to bring his face back up to hers. He outweighed her by 200 pounds so moving him with her own strength was virtually impossible. She didn't want it to end that way, she wanted him to be making love to her when she climaxed. But the physicality of the situation didn't allow her that opportunity. She could feel it welling up inside of her and she was powerless to stop it. _

_He ignored her pleading and continued on his task, to help her find release. He locked his arms around her thighs so she could not move. She had no choice but to enjoy the feeling of his mouth on her. "Cum for me." He whispered, knowing that she was close. He closed his eyes against the feeling and the want to actually be inside her himself. But he wouldn't do that to her. She deserved his full attention when they made love. He wasn't going to compromise the most intimate and passionate time they shared with thoughts of Rebecca._

_She felt herself lift off of the bed as her orgasm hit. She called out his name as the wave of pleasure engulfed her entire body. "Please baby." She could tell by the way he wasn't stopping his actions, that he had no intensions of 'being' with her tonight and it broke her heart. _

_Slowly he kissed his way back up to her lips and smiled at her. "I love you." He laid his head on her chest and held her tight. He fought with himself in his mind about what he was doing to their marriage. This shit with Rebecca was going to end as soon as he went back to work. Avoiding her hadn't stopped her from calling him or showing up at his hotel room for spontaneous jogs or to see if he wanted to get coffee. No, he needed to take the direct approach and tell her to leave him alone. His marriage depended on him being faithful, and as long as she was around, that wasn't going to happen. He was going to tell her to leave him alone; he loved his wife and there would be nothing between them, ever. But until he did that, severed all ties with her, he couldn't give himself completely to Britain; the one woman that he ever truly loved. _

_Britain wrapped her arms around Dave as he slept with his head on her chest. She couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes, but she would not let him know that she was crying. She'd be damned if she would be a pity fuck. She wanted him to still want her, but what did she expect? She had been keeping things from him for months and she still wasn't pregnant. He could have his pick of honest and fertile women, but he was stuck with her. It was time to end this charade. X had told her that telling the truth wasn't so bad, and she knew he loved her…he would understand. He had been so compassionate about the fact that they might never have a baby and he didn't seem to love her any less. But it was this shit with Marcus that seemed to be the catalyst for the downfall of everything. He slowly started pulling away after that party. He promised he wouldn't push her, but she didn't know that meant he would pull away. If she had to come clean about everything to get her husband back, she would. He could say that everything on his mind was about Chase, but she knew it was a lie._

As they pulled up to the house, she felt his hand touch hers. "You ok?" His voice was so soft and distant, almost as if he didn't want her to know that his mind was a million miles away.

Britain turned to him and smiled. "I'm fine. Let's just get this over with."

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Chase looked at the house with a heavy heart as she walked past the kennel. She opened the latch on the gate and bent down to pet the three dogs inside. She was going to miss them; they had been her only comfort when Jeff was away. Now she would be leaving them, for good. She blinked back a tear as she closed the kennel latch behind her and slowly she started up the walkway to the house.

This wasn't the first time Dave or Britain had been to Cameron, but the last time they were there was to help Chase move in; now they going to help her move out. Chase didn't want it to seem like she had brought them to gang up on Jeff, but she needed help. She knew that there would be a confrontation and truthfully she had hoped that her Dad wouldn't have to witness it. But she and Jeff were no closer to finding a solution than they had been before. He still wanted her to keep the baby, and she did not.

As she opened the front door, she felt tears hit her eyes. Everything was exactly the same, almost as if he didn't believe her when she said she was leaving. He had made no attempts to pack her stuff…everything was right where she had left it. "I'll be right back." She said to her father as she started up the stairs.

She found Jeff sitting on the bed holding the pink stuffed rabbit that he had brought the day he found out she was pregnant. It was his first gift to his child; the child that wasn't to be.

"Hey." He said quietly putting down the stuffed animal and standing up.

"Hey." She replied and immediately walked over to the closet to get her bags. "I'll be done soon…my dad and Britain are downstairs to help me with my stuff."

It was a bad dream, he was sure of it. This is not what he wanted. "You don't have to leave, Chase." He walked over to her and took the bag out of her hand. "I don't want you to leave."

"I can't stay here and fight with you all the time. I need to go home."

Jeff threw the bag on the floor and cupped Chase's face. "This is your home."

Chase withdrew from him and moved around him to pick up her bag. "Not anymore. I need to with my family because I know they won't try to talk me into something I don't want to do. Every night you call me and try to convince me to keep the baby, what do you think it's going to be like if I keep living here? I'm almost 4 months pregnant, Jeff. The first trimester is almost over…I need to do this now because in a few weeks it's going to be murder!" She didn't mean to yell at him, but she was sick of having this conversation. "I can't be here and see the look in your eyes when I come home and I'm not pregnant anymore."

Jeff grabbed her by both arms and pulled her into his arms. His tears matched hers, if he couldn't convince her to stay now, she would definitely have an abortion. "Whatever you want, I'll do it. If you want me to quit my job so I can be home with you and the baby, I will. If you want a nanny to live in the house with us, I'll do it. Just tell me what I can do to make you change your mind."

"Stop it!" She yelled pushing him away. "I don't want a baby! You can't keep doing this to me…"

"Well what about what you're doing to me? I love you. I don't want you to go. You don't want the baby, fine; but what about me? Do you still want me?"

"Not like this, not with _this_ hanging over us all the time." She wiped her face and stood tall against Jeff's tears. "You said it yourself; you can't be with me if I do this. Well I'm doing it and I don't want to lose you either, but there's no other way. Just let me go."

There was nothing else he could say, Chase had made up her mind. Jeff no longer wanted to be in that house with her. He turned from the room and ran down the stairs only to bump into Dave's solid frame as he stood by the front door. "Just let me go man." But Dave wouldn't move. Instead, he wrapped his arms around the smaller man and felt him completely break down.

Dave had been right about one thing, it was going to be hard being at Jeff's house, but he hadn't planned on all of this drama. He looked over at Britain feeling bad for her tears. He knew that she felt bad for Chase, but because of their own situation she couldn't do anything about it. He looked up toward the stairs when he heard something crash against the wall. Just as he started to move from Jeff, he felt Britain's hand touch his arm.

"No…I'll go. I'm sick of everyone babying her." Britain walked up the stairs determined to put an end to this shit with Chase right then and there.

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"Alright!" Randy called through his apartment as he walked toward the constant banging on the door. _Who the hell would be knocking on my door at 10:30 in the fucking morning?_ He was still asleep because of too much partying the night before which resulted in some chick he didn't know leaving his place in the wee hours of the morning. It was his one day off; no signings, no appearance, no interviews, just him and sleep. Whoever was at the door was going to die.

When he pulled the door open and saw Maddy smiling from ear to ear, suddenly Randy felt naked. Granted he had on pajama pants, but he was always a little more clothed when she was around. "What's up?" He yawned and tried to wipe the crusties out of his eyes.

"Oh my God…guess what?" She held up the paper and jumped up and down with excitement. "I got in…they accepted me!" She flung herself into Randy's arms and smiled at the feeling of his bear chest against her cheek.

Randy looked around to make sure that nobody saw her touching him. "That's great. What are you talking about?"

For months, Maddy had been receiving rejection letters from colleges, something that Alli was all too happy to remind her of. Truthfully, Maddy could've gotten into any school she wanted to, but she was too busy being popular, to busy partying and definitely too busy with boys.

"Towson University…they said yes. I'm going to college!" She was so happy when she pulled away from Randy. She invited herself into his apartment and sat down on his couch.

Randy closed the door but remained standing there. He wasn't taking any chances with Maddy. The more distance between them, the better. If he could've had this conversation from across the hall, he would have.

"I'm sorry to just bust in on you like this, but I had to tell somebody. Daddy, Britain and Chase went to see Jeff and my mom's working…I don't like Alli, so screw her. I didn't have anybody else to share this with." She flashed those dangerous dimples and Randy felt himself soften.

He shook his head, but still refused to move any closer to her. "That's really great. I'm happy for you. Towson, that's in Baltimore right?" Maddy nodded. "I know a couple people who went there…it's a party school."

What did he expect, this was Maddy. She was all about a good time. "I know, but at least now I don't have to go to community college. And I get to get the hell away from my sister. I'm so excited, Randy…we should celebrate."

"Um, what do you mean?" Randy's brain worked on two facets, sex and sleep. The term celebrate to him usually meant he ended up naked.

Maddy stood up and walked over to Randy. "Let me cook you breakfast. You do have food, right?" Randy nodded but looked apprehensive. "Oh, I brought over a swatch from my prom dress. I thought maybe you'd want to get a tie and cummerbund to match it."

He totally forgot about the prom. He was going to a fucking high school prom. This was so stupid, why did he agree to that? As soon as he watched Maddy walk into the kitchen and the short tennis skirt she was wearing sway ever so gently across her thighs, he remembered. He was going to the prom with Maddy, because although she was a child to him, she was definitely turning into a woman.

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Britain found Chase sitting on the floor of her bedroom crying. She carefully stepped over the broken picture frame that held the picture of she and Jeff at Britain's wedding. This situation was out of hand and although Britain knew it _was_ Chase's decision, she was sick of everybody acting like Chase was the only one with something to lose. Chase was long over due for a woman to woman conversation and whether she wanted to hear it or not, she was going to.

"You need to stop being such a baby about this. It's not about you having to take care of Jeff; it's about you not being mature enough to take care of yourself and your responsibilities." Britain didn't care if she was crying, she didn't care if Chase was hurting…Chase was hurting people that she cared about.

Chase lifted her eyes towards Britain and started to speak, but stopped when Britain's hand came up and she shook her head. "Let me finish. You have the chance that I don't have. I have the chance to be a mother. It might not be the perfect time in your life to become one, but when is? When you're older? You'll have a career then and then won't be a good time. You've been given a blessing, Chase…don't throw it away."

"I can't do this and I don't expect you to understand. I'm sorry you can't have a baby, but you can't make me keep mine. If I could give you this baby I would, but I don't want to go to your house and see my kid and pretend that it's my brother or sister. Do you know what that would do to me?" She had thought about it, even Jeff had suggested it, but she couldn't do it. It would solve so many problems if she could. Her dad would be a good father and Britain would finally have a baby and even Jeff could see the baby whenever he wanted. But a part of her would always know that that child wasn't a sibling, but her own flesh and blood.

Britain narrowed her gaze and clenched her teeth. "I don't want your baby. I don't want to clean up your mistakes. I want you step up to the plate and do what's right." She didn't care how loud she was or if Jeff and Dave heard her yelling at Chase. She needed to know what it was like. "What you want to do is permanent…you can never go back. Do you know how lucky you are? You have a man that actually wants you to have the baby…you're not being forced to get rid of it. It will eat you alive everyday of your life if you have an abortion. Every time you pass a child on the street, you're gonna wonder what your baby would've looked like, every holiday or event that you should be happy, like your wedding; there will always be a part of you that will be empty because you can't share it with your child." Britain's tears were unparalleled; it was too emotional for her to contain herself. "And what about later, when you want to have another baby and you can't? Do you know what that will do to you?"

Chase looked up confused. She noticed how distant Britain's eyes were; she wasn't talking about _her_ situation anymore. "Why wouldn't I be able to have another baby?"

Britain shook her head and looked at Chase with such sorrow. "Because sometimes procedures go wrong and they kill any chance of you ever having a kid along with the baby you're getting rid of."

"Britain…I don't understand. I don't want hurt you, or Jeff or anybody. I just don't want to be a mother."

"Well if you don't want to be a mother at least let Jeff be a father. He wants the baby, mi hija. Let him have it. You carry it and give birth to it and give it to Jeff. You can walk away and everybody will be happy. Love is hard to replace, but I'm sure in time you will fall in love again, but you will never be able to replace your baby. Please…give them that chance."

Britain ran down the stairs and paid no attention to the confused look on Dave's face. She knew he had heard every word and now she was going to have to explain it all. She didn't care anymore, everything was falling apart. "I have a plane to catch." She said picking up the keys to the truck and heading out the door. Dave could drive back to Tampa with Chase and she would pick up the truck from the airport when she got back from New York. She had done enough explaining and she couldn't take explaining anymore.

As soon as she got to the highway, she picked up her phone. "Hey Cupcake…I'm on my way to New York, are you there?"

Jericho immediately could tell by her voice that she was upset. "Yeah. What time's your flight? I'll pick you up."

"I need to talk to you." She said into the receiver.

Jericho sighed. "You need to talk to Dave."

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"Maddy…Maddy stop, please." Randy begged half heartedly as Maddy assaulted Randy's face with kisses. There was nothing subtle about he middle Batista girl, she was on a mission and nothing was going to deter her.

Randy couldn't quite figure out how things got to that point. One minute they were having breakfast, and then they were sitting on the couch talking about the fucking prom. The next thing he knew, Maddy jumped him and started kissing him. Not that he really minded, but did she have to look so much like Dave? All he could think about was seeing Dave's face if he knew what _his_ daughter was planning on doing to him.

"What's wrong?" She asked looking at Randy's face. She couldn't believe after all these years of trying to get him to notice her, she was this close.

Randy pushed her into a sitting position on her own side of the couch and he sat up straight and faced her. "This…" He motioned his hand between them, "is wrong. It shouldn't be like this."

"I'm not a virgin, its ok." She was sure that was all that is was. "I want this Randy."

Randy ran his fingers through his hair, he couldn't ever remember a time where he turned down a beautiful woman for sex. "What do you want Madison? You want me to sleep with you? What happens after that? What happens when I'm at your house for a cookout, do we go back to pretending that nothing happened? _This_ is wrong. You're a kid; you should be all excited about graduation and shopping with your friends, not trying to get a guy that's way older and more experienced than you to take you to bed."

Maddy lowered her eyes and felt stupid. "I'm not pretty enough am I? That's it, right, because I've seen the girls you hang out with and they're gorgeous."

Randy was confused. He wanted her to understand that _if_ anything would _ever_ happen with them, it should be more than just sex. "What are you talking about? You're beautiful, you're sexy as hell and you're going to get me killed by your very large father."

"I know I'm not cute and smart like Chase and I'm not athletic and everybody's MVP like Alli. I just want you to like me. I'll have sex with you, its ok."

Randy hand rested on his cheek as he looked at the girl in front of him in disbelief. "Do you really think I'm that much of a dick, that the only way I could like you is if you let me fuck you?"

"That's all boys want from me, why should you be different? Every guy I've ever liked, never showed any interest in me, because I was Chase's sister. She had guys falling over her, because she's blonde with big blue eyes. Look at me…I'm plain. The only way I got boys to notice me was if I had sex with them. At least that way, guys started to want to hang out; een if I am just for practice."

"What do you mean, practice?"

Maddy wasn't the crying type; that was Chase's deal. "Let's face it Randy; I'm not really what guys look for in a girlfriend. I'm the girl that they practice on for when a girl they really like comes along. I thought when you said that you'd go to my prom; it meant that you might like me a little. So I figured, I could make sure you did if I have slept with you."

Randy had almost forgotten the disconnected high school logic. "Madison…" He let out a puff of air. This was going to be the worst mistake he ever made. "I do like you. That's the problem. I shouldn't. You're Dave's daughter, your only 18, you're still in high school, and you're almost like family to me. It's sick and it's wrong and it's almost like incest; but I can't help it. Since that day you woke up in my bed, I can't stop thinking about you. I don't know how to handle this. I don't want to lie to your dad, I don't want to sleep with you and lead you on; but I don't want you not to want me anymore either."

Maddy was shocked. She had never seen Randy be sensitive before. "You don't have to say things to make me feel better. It's ok, you don't have to take me to prom, and you don't have pretend to like me. I shouldn't've come; I'm gonna leave."

As she walked passed him, he hand reached out and grabbed her arm. He pulled her down on his lap and for the first time he really kissed Madison. He knew it was wrong and he would probably die a slow painful death at the hands of his best friend. But still, that kiss couldn't have been wrong, it didn't feel wrong.

"When I'm back home next week, would you like to go to dinner with me?" He asked looking her in the eye. "Like a real date."

If her smile would've gotten any bigger, Maddy's face would have split in two. "I'd love to."


	19. Coming Clean

_Author's Note: This chapter was going to have some comic relief in it, but it just didn't work out that way. Having said that, it's a teary chapter, so Kara...I'm sorry; I don't mean to make you cry!_

_I'm interested to know what you think about it, since it's been built up for so long._

Coming Clean

Britain sat on the bed in the hotel room worrying the ends of her hair. It had been a little over a week since she had left for New York to tape for VH1, and now was the moment of truth. When she last talked to Dave, he asked her about her conversation with Chase and she promised him that when they met in Chicago she would tell him everything. If it weren't for Jericho, she would still be keeping it a secret. But she knew in her heart of hearts this was the right thing to do. It was now or never; she wanted to save her marriage and she couldn't take this hanging over them anymore.

She had prepared herself for a multiple of reactions from him. She was braced for anger, she was ready for his acceptance, and she was not even going to argue back with him if he yelled at her. It shouldn't be that hard to share your darkest secret with the love of your life. But, when the past effects the future it's scary. She let out a hard breath when she heard him turn the handle on the room door. It was now or never.

"Hi." She was unsure if he would want to jump right into it or if he would make her sweat it out. "How'd it go today?"

Dave shrugged and sat down his bag. He knew this was eating her up and truthfully any other day he could be sympathetic; but right now, he was tired, he was hungry and he was generally in a bad mood. "Tiring; I pulled a muscle in my shoulder. How about you? How was New York?"

"Good. They want me to come back next month to do some other kind of countdown or something." She followed him across the room with her eyes, noticing how he never stopped to even look at her. "I talked to Chase. She said that what I told her made sense; she's gonna let Jeff raise the baby."

"I know, she told me." Dave seemed to move on autopilot. He hated when Britain stalled.

She was running out of things to talk to him about. "I hope she and Jeff can work things out and get back together. It's gonna be hard for her to know that her child is living in North Carolina without her."

Dave finally sat down the chair across from the bed. He scratched at his five o'clock shadow and shook his head slightly. "Are we gonna talk about this or are we gonna talk about everybody else in our family? Cause I already know what's going on with them. I don't however, know what's going on with you."

"What do you want to know?"

He couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that came out of his mouth. "Oh let's see… I want to know why you can't get pregnant; because I don't believe that bullshit story about a car accident. I want to know what's the deal with that guy Marcus and I want to know what the fuck that conversation with Chase was about. Because right now, I feel like the biggest fucking idiot on the planet. You've been telling me for months that you're fine and nothing's wrong, but when you talked to Chase I find out there's a whole lot wrong. I been begging you to let me help you, but I'm asking anymore…stop lying to me."

She could feel the sting in her eyes. She hadn't quite imagined that he would be pissed already and he didn't even know what happened yet. She put her head down and started to pick at her nail polish. This was worse than being yelled at by her father; which had only happened on three occasions that she could remember.

"You're right, I have been lying. But I only did it because I was scared of how you would react if you knew." She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. She couldn't take looking at him when she told him. "When I was 19, I was a raging whore." She let out a nervous laugh when she thought about how loose she was back then. "My career had just really started to take off and I was getting more work than I could handle. And guys were lining up to meet me. I could walk in a club and take my pick of the ones that I wanted to spend the night with. I was having the time of my life, and then I met Marcus."

She remembered the night she met him. She was at a club in Atlanta and he was there with some guys from WCW. He looked so cute in his tight jeans and muscle shirt. She'd always had a soft spot for pretty boys and Buff Bagwell, was definitely a pretty boy. He had tan skin and short black hair and these amazing hazel eyes. The most captivating feature about him was his wide smile and perfect teeth. His smile made you laugh because it lit his face up like a lantern. He had this hearty laugh that came from somewhere deep inside his body and this southern drawl that made you speak with one when you talked to him, because he was that infectious.

"The guy at the party?" He wanted to make sure he understood every detail of what she was telling him. He didn't want to be confused about anything.

"Yeah; that was him. Marcus was amazing when I met him. He was so different then the other guys I was dating. He was the first guy that I had met since I was 16 that didn't try to sleep with me the first day he met me. He would just do little things, like call me all the time, or take me on picnics; we'd go to the zoo; just little things. I think we had dated for a month before we ever slept together."

That first time she was with Marcus was incredible. She had never had a boyfriend that cared if she got off…he was the first man to give her an orgasm. If that wasn't love, she didn't know what was.

"I thought I loved him so much, but once he moved in with me, things changed. He was juicing and he had this hair pinned temper…anything I said would set him off. Our relationship went from wonderful to horrible in all of two months. All we did was fuck and fight."

She hadn't started crying yet, but she could feel her throat closing up as she tried to speak, the sniffles started and the tears just pooled in her eyes, but refused to fall. She was supposed to be past this, it wasn't supposed to bother her anymore. But still the look in his eyes when she spoke; he hung on every word. It was like Dave was unlocking a part of her heart that she swore she had thrown away the key for.

"We had been together for about 5 months and our relationship was really shitty. Then I found out I was pregnant and I was so happy. I thought that's what our relationship needed…a baby would make everything better. I know it's stupid, but when you're 19 you think that will change everything. He was happy when I told him, at first. But then he did the math and realized that he was away when I got pregnant, and the baby wasn't his."

She hadn't meant for that weekend to happen, but things with Marcus were so bad. She didn't set out to cheat on him, but still it happened and it never happened again. She wasn't married to him and she knew that he was cheating on her, but it still didn't justify what she did.

"He told me I couldn't have the baby, but I wanted it." She could hear her voice start to shake as she relived the memory. "So I told him, I was going to leave and that me and my baby didn't need him. Oh God Dave, he beat my ass. I tried to fight back, but the more I did the more he hit me. I had so many bruises. He broke my nose and my rib…I swear he was trying to beat that baby out of me. He told me I couldn't leave and I wasn't having another man's baby. So I told him I wouldn't; I just didn't want him to hit me anymore."

If Dave would have said that he didn't want to find Marcus and rip his heart out, he would be a lying sack of shit. Every muscle in his body tensed at the thought that a man could beat on a woman, a pregnant woman no less. He should have killed that asshole when he had the chance at Bischoff's. If he had known then, what he knew now it would've been over for Marcus.

"He he knew a place he could take me to have it done. I couldn't go to the hospital or anything because it would have shown up on my dad's insurance and I didn't want him to know." Britain roughly wiped her hand across her nose and sniffled before continuing. "The place looked like a clinic and it had these big plush blue couches and a big fish tank in the waiting room. And the receptionist was so nice to me. I still remember her name; it was Mary. Marcus waited out in the waiting room when they took me back. But the back didn't look like a clinic. It was this big room with white walls and a metal table in the middle, and it was so cold in there. Nobody talked to me or told me what they were doing. It hurt so bad, and they must have done something wrong because there was so much blood."

She remembered being on that table screaming because they hit something inside of her. There was a white hot pain that seared through her body, but still no one talked to her. Instead a woman that she thought was a nurse held her down to keep her from bucking on the table. She had never been so scared in all of her life.

"Even after he took me home, I still didn't feel right, I couldn't stop bleeding. He told me that he couldn't be with somebody that could do that to a baby and he was leaving. He made me have an abortion and he left me anyway." She was so stupid; she should have known that he would do something like that. "The next day, Jericho found me; I had passed out. He took me to the hospital and they had to do emergency surgery. When I woke up Jericho must have called Christina because she was there. She told me she had to call my parents because they didn't know if I would make it because I was hemorrhaging so bad. I made her promise to lie for me; so we came up with the accident story. I had enough bruises all over me that anyone would have believed it. I just couldn't take the look in my father's eyes if he knew I almost died because of a botched abortion. I was still supposed to be able to have children; they were supposed to fix the mistake. That's why I can't have a baby, because I'm being punished. I committed a sin and I don't care how many times I go to confession or pray for forgiveness, God's mad at me because I killed my baby."

Dave wiped his eyes; he hadn't even realized that he was crying. "What about the baby's father? Did you tell him?" His voice was distant, yet stern. He needed to know all of it.

Britain nodded. "He knew. But I told him that I was going to tell Marcus it was his. He had a girlfriend and they were going through some shit. It shouldn't have happened; he was a friend and it was one weekend that we spent together…I didn't want him to lose the girl of his dreams because I got pregnant."

Dave cocked his head to one side and looked at Britain. "Why couldn't you tell me this before? What did you think I would do? I love you and I want you to be able to share your life with me. I wouldn't have blamed you for this. You were a kid in a fucked up situation; you were scared and had a boyfriend that beat on you. I would've understood. Why couldn't you trust me enough to understand?"

God she had hoped that was enough for him. But since she was coming clean, she might as well tell him everything. "That's not the part that I didn't think you'd understand." She couldn't steady her voice. Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone?

"What else Britain?" She shook head because she didn't want him to know. "Damn it, stop lying to me. What else?"

"The baby," she raised her eyes to meet his "…was Jericho's."

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Britain banged on John's door praying that he and X hadn't gone out. She needed her best friend right now, more than ever before. She couldn't wait for them to get to the door; she had to keep banging on it.

"What?" Christina yelled as she pulled the open. "Mami, what's wrong." She could tell by Britain's red, tear streaked face that something really bad had happened. She ushered Britain inside and held the crying woman in her arms. "It's is ok Mami, tell me what's wrong."

Britain couldn't find the words so that they would make sense. Instead they all came out in a jumbled mass of sobs. "He knows. He knows, I did what you said and he knows."

X shrugged as she looked over at John. She had no idea what she was talking about. She couldn't get Britain to calm down long enough to make a complete sentence. "Who knows? What do they know?"

"Dave."

"You told him why you can't get pregnant? You told him about Marcus?" She was relieved that Britain didn't have to carry this secret anymore, but her reaction wasn't what she had hoped it would be. "What happened?"

Britain could feel herself starting to hyperventilate; her hands moved rapidly rushing air to her face as she tried to breathe. Everything was swirling around in her head. "I told him everything and he left. He left me and I don't think he's coming back. You told me he would understand but he didn't. He didn't even say anything; he just slammed the door in my face."

"Baby, it wasn't your fault what happened to you. Dave should understand that, _you_ should understand that."

"I told him everything. I don't want to lie to him anymore; I love him, Chris. Now he's gone." Britain finally made it to the bed and sat on the edge of it, because she could feel her legs giving out. How she managed to fuck things up so badly was beyond her.

John knelt down at Britain's side and touched her hand. "I'll find him, ok? Don't worry bout nothin'." He stood up and kissed X softly. "I'll be back in a few."

Christina shook her head rapidly. "You told him about Jericho didn't you? Jesus de Christo…honey you just needed to tell him what happened with Marcus, you didn't have to tell him all of it. You know how he gets."

Britain put her hand to her forehead and tried to stop her head from aching. "I wanted to be honest. I knew he would be mad, but I didn't think he'd leave. What if he doesn't come back? What am I supposed to do?"

X held Britain and let her cry. She had no idea how to fix this; she only hoped that John could find Dave and convince him to come back.

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John had a feeling where to find Dave. No sooner did he step off the elevator and into the bar of the hotel did he see his best friend. He was sitting there, with his back to the door, drinking. As John got closer, he noticed that Dave was not only drinking, but talking to Rebecca. John was pissed, Dave swore that he was going to sever all ties with her, but there she was.

There's a fine line between being tactful and being tacky and at that moment John was all over the place. He walked up on them and stood right in front of Rebecca and in Dave's face. "What the fuck is your problem? Your wife is upstairs fuckin' hysterical because she thinks you walked out on her because she can't give you a kid…and you're down here with this bitch."

Dave placed his glass on the counter and squared John with his eyes. "You don't know shit about what's going on. So I suggest you get the fuck out of my face."

It's a good thing that John's a man that doesn't scare very easily. Had he been Randy, he might have retreated. John had known Dave for a long time and he could give a shit about Dave's attitudes. "I don't need to know the whole story. The part I know is fucked up enough. That woman loves you, she's puttin' herself through hell for you and this bitch is how you repay her."

"I'm not going to be too many more bitches." Rebecca said from behind him. "We're just having a drink John. That's it."

He turned quickly and gave Rebecca a look that scared her. "If you wasn't actin' like a bitch, I wouldn't be callin' you a bitch. I told you to stay away from my boy. But you up under his nose again. What you think, he gonna give you Women's Champion title shot? Fuck that. I'll tell you what's gonna happen, if it ain't happened already. He's gonna fuck you and leave your skank ass high and dry. Then he's gonna back to that woman upstairs, that he's in love with, and you still gonna sittin' here, lookin' fuckin' stupid."

He turned back to Dave and glared at him once again. "You fuckin' up. Get your shit together, get off your ass and go see 'bout your wife."

Dave watched as John started to walk away. "John. Is she really that upset?" He just left to clear his head. He was so pissed about everything. Why the fuck didn't she tell him before? _Because she knew I would leave._ He could handle that Marcus shit, even though if he ever saw him again he was going to kill him. But Jericho? Jericho was his friend and he never said anything about it. How could he let her go through all of that? They were still friends after everything. For all he knew, Britain was still fucking him.

"What fuck do you think? I ain't tellin' you shit. You need to handle your business."

"I'm not sleeping with Rebecca. Nothing happened." Dave needed John to know that.

John had just about enough of Dave for one day. "There's more to an affair than sex, asshole."

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Dave walked slowly into the hotel room. He felt like an asshole. He was no better at treating Britain than Marcus had been. She told him something that he didn't want to hear and he hurt her. It wasn't physical like Marcus, but it still hurt just the same. He knew it was hard for her to tell him, because if it wasn't she would have told him months ago. She had been living with this secret for over 10 years, only a few people knew the truth; people she trusted more than him. And how could he get mad for her keeping a secret; he wasn't exactly telling her about his feelings toward Rebecca.

He thought it was ironic that when he walked in the bar she was sitting there. It was as if fate put her there for a purpose. Every time the shit got thick with Britain, Rebecca was right there. She was always willing to listen and she never passed judgment. But why did she have to kiss him? He would have been content just being friends…but now he saw her as something non-threatening. He loved Britain with all his heart, but she had the power to hurt him. Rebecca didn't have that power, because all he felt toward her was a physical attraction. She filled a void.

A quick scan of the room let him know that Britain wasn't there. She was probably still in John's room, crying her eyes out. He knew he should go to her and let her know that he wasn't _leaving_ her; he just needed to sort this out. But as soon as he turned back toward the door, he heard her cell phone ring.

He picked up the phone and looked at the voicemail sign flash across the screen. Something in his gut told him to listen to it.

"_Hey Buttercup, its Jericho. Just calling to make sure you're ok. I hope you take my advice and talk to Dave; he deserves to know. Anyway, I'm here if you need to talk. I'll be in New York for a few more days. Give me a call."_

Dave threw the phone down. Why the fuck was he calling her, was she talking to him about their problems? He was the cause of the fucking problem and she felt the need to run to Jericho instead of him.

Before he realized what he was doing, Dave found himself outside of Rebecca's door. He could feel his eyes tear when she smiled at him, but it didn't matter because he still stepped inside.

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Britain tossed and turned in a restless sleep. She couldn't stop the after shutters from crying so hard. She turned over and looked at the clock, it was 4:30 in the morning and Dave still hadn't come back. He had been gone since six and he still wasn't back yet. She couldn't figure out what she was supposed to do. He had promised her he would understand, but he didn't. He didn't even give her a chance to explain.

She sat up in the bed and felt the tears roll down her face again. She was so sick of crying. It wasn't supposed to be like this anymore. She had found someone that actually loved her and he wasn't supposed to treat her like her feelings didn't matter. Her shoulders shuttered as she let her head fall forward and cried.

Dave walked in the room and noticed her sitting in the dark. With only the bathroom light on, he could see her long black hair framing her face as she wept. Why did she have to look at him? Her eyes were so red, her face glistened with tears. As if he hadn't hurt her enough already, he had to do this.

He didn't say anything, but he went to her anyway and wrapped his arms around her. He loved her, so why did he fuck up? The guilt was overwhelming. This woman wasn't malicious; she didn't try to hurt him on purpose. He was crazy to think that she was still sleeping with Jericho. If she was, she wouldn't be this upset that he had left. Of course hindsight is 20/20 and had he known then what he knew now, he wouldn't have gone to Rebecca's room. He wouldn't have slept with her; not when he loved his wife so much.

"I'm sorry I lied to you." She struggled through her sobs to say. She didn't want him to let her go because she was afraid that if he did, he would be gone forever. But the reassuring look in his eyes when his face met hers told her that everything was going to be alright.

He couldn't accept her apology; _she_ had nothing to apologize for. _He _should be the one apologizing, but he couldn't hurt her anymore. "I love you." He said as the tears started to fall from his own eyes. He had ruined everything by being with Rebecca. He had broken his vows to her and although he had told Rebecca that it was a mistake; there was nothing he could say to Britain to make understand.


	20. New Beginnings

_Author's Note: Ok first let me explain the constant updates. I work in a Catholic school (I know, I work in a Catholic School; miss gutter mind herself) and we're off for 2 wks for the Xmas holiday. My dinner is cooked, the cookies are baked and I've wrapped all the gifts for my son. I'm just writing like it's going out of style. I hope to finish this story by the time my break is over. I still have a few things in the works, so we'll see how that actually works out. _

_This chapter is light because there's been too much drama lately. The next chapter, the drama will resume. Anyway, to all of you Happy Holidays!_

_xoxoxo_

_Shanny_

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New Beginnings

Britain hated Dave's schedule. After the night after she told him, he had to go to the next venue and she had to go to Miami for a club opening. It had already been two weeks since she saw him last, and she still had another week to go. After dropping a bombshell on her marriage, talking on the phone wasn't going to make things better. He said he still loved her, he told her she had nothing to apologize for; _he_ apologized for hurting her and for walking out. But there was still something in his voice that said things weren't right. She didn't know what it was, but she couldn't wait for him to get home so they could work it out. Everything in their life was so chaotic right now, and she was barely able to hold on.

Britain started talking to Chase, when she got back to Tampa. She couldn't believe how sympathetic she was when learned about Britain's abortion. Chase felt safe in knowing that she was going to keep the baby; even if she wasn't going to be a part of its life. Jeff was going to be a good father and she was being selfish, she knew; but it was for the best.

Then there was Maddy. Britain didn't know what to do with her. What the hell was she thinking going on a date with Randy? What the hell was _he_ thinking, asking her? As if things couldn't get any worse, if Dave found out, the shit would really hit the fan.

Randy held his breath as he rang the doorbell. He couldn't believe he had balls enough to show up at Dave's house to take Madison on a date. Granted, he knew that Dave was in Colorado with Raw and lucky for him, Edge had an injury and would be out for a week, so Rated RKO had no matches. He had even gotten out of a signing, since that whole thing with Flair; people didn't really want autographs from heels. Facing Dave was one thing, but facing Britain was another.

As soon as Britain opened the door, she saw Randy standing there, with his black dress pants and white button down shirt with a few buttons undone showing his gold herringbone necklace. Randy smelled like sex; Britain knew the sent of Cocaine right away. That was cologne that made the panties disintegrate on contact. She couldn't help but to think that this date was going to be a disaster.

"Randal Keith Orton, get your ass in here." Britain said pulling Randy into the house. She almost crushed the bouquet of pink roses he held in his hand. "What are you doing? Do you want me to get divorced? I love my husband… I love being married. If he finds out about this, he's going to kill you both and divorce me."

Randy shifted his weight on his legs nervously. "I talked to Dave and he said that if I liked her, I should take it slow."

Britain narrowed her eyes. She wasn't stupid. "Did ya tell him, it was his daughter?"

Randy shook his head. "I kinda never got around to that part."

Britain pulled her hair back into a ponytail and turned back to Randy. "She's a kid. Please remember that. She's going through a lot right now and she's infatuated with you." She placed her hand on Randy's shoulder. "Do me a favor; don't break her heart, don't lead her on and whatever you do, don't sleep with her."

Randy completely understood what Britain meant, but he was little offended that she felt the need to tell him. "I know how to be a gentleman, Britain. Contrary to popular belief, I don't just go around boning young girls and leaving them crying on the sidewalk."

"I didn't mean it like that…I'm just worried about her. She _really_ likes you."

Randy couldn't speak anymore, because Madison walked down the stairs. She was wearing a blue skirt that fell just above her knee, with a little split that gave him the slightest hint of her thigh. For her to be a short as she was, he had never noticed how long her legs were. He followed those long legs from the split in her skirt down to the sling back heels that she wore. Her bare legs were tanned and thick and her calves flexed with every step she took. Her cream colored V-neck shirt modestly exposed the skin on her chest, but the little charm with the letter M on it, made you not even notice. Her hair was down, and she had done something to it, because instead of it being straight like it normally was, Randy found himself wondering if the curls were as soft as they looked. It was the first time he had ever seen her wear makeup. There was the subtlest hint of blush on her cheeks and the shimmer of the lip gloss she wore made him lick his own lips. There was no way in hell, this was Maddy; the kid he'd known forever. The _woman_ walking down the stairs was Madison; somebody that he wanted to know.

Britain cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh liebschen, you look beautiful." She quickly walked over to Maddy and hugged her.

Maddy ran her hand down over her skirt. "Really?" She asked quietly so that only Britain could hear her. "You think so?"

"Honey, you look like a model. I should know." Her heart did flips when Maddy smiled at her. "Don't tell them I said this, but your sister's have nothing on you." Britain smiled and stroked her step-daughter's hair. She knew how insecure Maddy was, and even though she wanted to make her feel special; she meant every word.

Maddy walked over to Randy and smiled nervously. "Wow." Was all he could say. Randy had never been at a loss for words before, but he couldn't think of anything else to say to her. At least nothing that he wanted to say that Britain could hear. "You look…" He shook his head trying to find the right words. "Wow." When Britain cleared her throat, Randy remembered the roses in his hand. "These are for you."

At that point, Maddy didn't need any blush because her cheeks turned red on their own. "Thank you. You look really nice too." She turned to Britain and with a smile she handed her the roses. "So where are we going?"

Randy shrugged. "It's a surprise. You ready."

Maddy nodded anxiously and tried to keep herself from smiling like an idiot. As Randy motioned toward the door, she noticed that he waited for her to exit first. When they got to the car, _he_ opened the door for her and closed it after she got in. He was treating her like she was lady and she was eating it up. Just as he rounded the car, she let out a scream of excitement, causing Randy to look in the back window to make sure she was alright. He smiled and shook his head, when he saw her stamping her feet and covering her smile with her hands. But as soon as he opened his door, she was calm and composed.

"Have fun and be good." Britain said from the porch. "But not too good…because I don't want to have to visit you in the ICU. Have her back here by 1."

Randy waved his hand at Britain and nodded before getting in the car. He turned to Maddy and smiled. "You sure you're ready."

"I've been waiting for this my whole life. Let's go."

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Chase walked down the stairs and smiled at Britain. "She looked really good didn't she?" It had been a busy day for Maddy and Chase. Chase helped her with her hair and her makeup, but she really didn't need any help. If nothing else, it kept Chase's mind off of Jeff. "She's so excited. I hope she has a good time."

Britain watched Chase from the door and couldn't help but to notice her small round belly. Somewhere over the last two weeks, Chase's tummy grew. It was a little lump, not really noticeable if she wore a t-shirt, but the tank top she was wearing made it stick out.

"I remember the first time Jeff took me out to fancy restaurant…we had so much fun. He put ketchup on everything." She laughed at the thought and then suddenly felt sad. "I miss him Britain."

Britain poked out her bottom lip and sat next to Chase. "Why don't you call him?"

"He doesn't want to talk to me. I left remember? I really messed things up, huh?" Chase ran her hand over her stomach and suddenly her eyes got wide.

"What's wrong?" Britain said panicked. It was too soon for her to have the baby; she was only 19 weeks pregnant. "Are you ok?"

Chase nodded and took Britain's hand. Her eyes roamed the room and she held her breath to feel it again. She couldn't stop the smile on her face. "I think it just kicked." She placed Britain's hand on her belly and nodded. "Did you feel that? It kicked me."

Britain smiled for Chase, although a big part of her still wished it was her. She pressed her head to Chase's stomach and laughed as the small limb moved under her cheek. "Hello baby. I'm your abuleta." She looked at Chase and made a disgusted face. "I'm a step-grandmother…I'm 30 and I'm gonna be a grandma."

Chase shook her head sadly and got up from the couch. "You can be aunt. This is Jeff's baby, remember?"

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"So, um, I'm going to Mass. this weekend and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me." John hated talking on his cell phone, especially in the locker room. All the guys were always in his business. Especially Carlito, who was busy making kissing, noises over John's shoulder.

X laughed on the other end. "Tell Carly, I said hi, and tell him Ave loved the necklace."

"Man, X said get the fuck away from me." John rolled his eyes at Carlito and returned to his conversation. "So, can you make it? "

She wanted to go, but she couldn't. "This is my weekend with Ave. I can't."

"Why can't she come too? I'd like to get to know her." John had thought about it a lot. He was in love with Christina and if she had a kid, he was sure he would love her too. Anything that was a part of her couldn't be that bad.

"I don't know, John. I've never taken her anywhere. What if she doesn't want to go with me?" X could feel herself start to panic. It was one thing for her to reject Ave, it something else for Ave to reject her.

John walked out into the hallway so he could have some privacy. "Look, I know you're scared, but you gotta get to know her better. She won't say no; just tell her y'all are comin' to hang out with me." He couldn't stop smiling thinking about the way Ave looked at him. "Besides, how do you plan on gettin' her back if you don't spend that much time with her?"

X was floored. She hadn't told anyone that she was thinking about getting her daughter back. "How'd you know that?"

John smiled into the phone. "I told you, Ma. I know you. Now go call her people and tell 'em y'all are comin' to the New for the weekend."

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Madison Batista had never been so nervous in her entire life. She had been chasing Randy for years, but when she finally got him, didn't know what to do with him. She had figured that if they slept together, they'd be fine. It really didn't involve a lot of talking and she really didn't have to be anybody other than herself. But now she was on an actual _date_ with him, and she didn't have the slightly clue what to talk to him about.

Randy sensed how nervous she was. Maddy hardly spoke in the car on the way to The Brass Elephant, a new upscale restaurant downtown. It was one of those places that the host took your coat for you, and they had the fancy napkins in crystal wine glasses on the table; the portions of the food were extremely small and it was so expensive that they didn't list the prices on the menu. Maddy really felt like this was way out of her league. Randy had been there a few times already, it was really a little too fancy for him, but he wanted Madison to have a _real_ date, so he spared no expense; besides he already felt like shit when he had to cancel their date the week before.

"So, tell me about yourself." He said after the waiter had taken their order. He sat across from her and looked her in the eye noticing how she dropped her eyes from his.

Maddy shrugged. "You already know me, Randy."

"No, I don't. I know what your dad tells me about you. And I know about the major stuff…but I don't know about _you._" He reached his hand across the table and touched Madison's. He felt his heart race when she looked at him. "What makes you tick?"

Nobody ever asked Maddy what she liked or wanted before. She was the _middle_ child and though she knew everybody loved her, she just never really mattered. "I like to sing." She was quiet with her admission. It was something that nobody knew about her.

"Are you any good?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, but I really love it. I've written a few songs already; just the lyrics, I'm not really good with the music part. I took piano lessons when I was younger and I hated it. I know the melody and I can play it, but it just doesn't sound complete yet."

Randy found it refreshing how innocently she talked about herself. She wasn't talking about all the cool people she knew, or how much money she had or what she could do to him sexually; like most of the other women he dated. Maddy was genuinely talking about _herself _to him. "What else?"

"I think when I go to school, I want to study theater. I'd love to do a musical…I've never been in a play before. I know I can't make it as an actress because that business is so hard. But I'd like to do plays in like a community theater or something or maybe Shakespeare in the park. I love Shakespeare."

"Really?" Maddy didn't look like Shakespeare kinda gal. But hell, if she could understand what he was saying, more power to her.

"My dream is play Desdemona. Othello is my absolute favorite play. You know, the more I think about it, I should major in Literature and minor in Theater. I love the classics, the Greek tragedies like Medea and Oedipus Rex. That stuff is amazing. I would love to be able to do that."

What do you say to that? "Wow. That's pretty impressive. I thought you said you didn't do well in school."

"High school sucks ass. All those kids are only nice to me because of my dad and Chase. Do you know how hard it is to live in the shadow of your sister that was valedictorian, and I barley make C's? And then there are the jocks that are only nice to me because of Alli. She's won more trophies in that school than anybody, and she's only a sophomore. So, that had one smart Batista and one athletic Batista, and then they got me." She took a nervous sip of her water; she knew she shouldn't be having a pity party on a first date. "I got a reputation as being a party girl, so I really couldn't let the kids at school know I was smart. So, I'm only smart when no one's around."

Randy raised one eyebrow at Maddy. "I think smart girls are sexy." He smiled when she laughed. "No seriously, smart _is_ sexy. Anybody can be beautiful, but if they can't hold a conversation, what's the point? Don't ever let anybody stop you from being you. You're a total package…you got looks and brains. It doesn't get much better than that."

Madison could swear she was melting into a pool of gooey Randy drool in her seat. This guy was amazing. Besides the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous and had a body that could stop traffic, his eyes made her heart sink into her stomach and his hands, although they were huge were so soft. And as if him opening doors and actually wanting to get to know her wasn't enough, she thought she would have a stroke when he asked her to dance.

"I don't really know how to dance." She admitted shyly. "Unless this place doesn't mind me freaking you…I think it's safer if we don't."

Randy laughed, she might have been young, but this was most fun he'd had in long time. "Well what the hell are we gonna do at your prom, if you don't dance?" He stood up and put his hand out in front of her. "We might as well practice now."

Madison removed her napkin from her lap and carefully placed her hand in his. As they walked to the dance floor, she noticed people looking at them. Randy Orton was leading her to dance and it didn't seem the least bit contrived. She watched him closely as he cupped his hand around hers and slid his arm around her waist pulling her close to him. They moved slowly to the music and before long her head rested against his chest. His heart had a gentle rhythmic beat that she could have easily fell asleep to. Randy leaned down and smelled the coconut scent of her hair and gently let go of her hand so that he could put his other arm around her. She was so small against him, but she felt like she belonged there. It wasn't until the song was over and she pulled away and looked up at him, did his heart stop beating. He had to kiss her…the laws of nature demanded it. It was just a swift brush of his lips against hers, but he noticed immediately how her eyes glazed over.

Randy took her by the hand and headed back to their table. He couldn't eat, not with her sitting across from him. Especially not watching the nervous way she tucked her hair behind her ears and tried to avoid his eyes. When she finally did meet his eyes and smiled shyly at him; Randy knew, he was in _big_ trouble.

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Chase had debated about calling Jeff, but she needed to hear his voice. She missed him so much that it actually felt like a part of her was missing. She dialed the number and sat on her bed Indian style, waiting for him to answer.

"Hello?" He said softly. It had been a long day and he was exhausted. He was still doing Raw, Smackdown and ECW with Matt. He needed a break, he needed to go home and relax; but what was at home for him? Chase was back in Florida and he never realized how lonely he was living in that big house until she was gone.

"Hi." She hadn't thought of anything to say to him when she called. But she never had a problem talking to him before. She hated how forced things were with him now. "I just called to tell you that I felt the baby move today."

Jeff instantly lit up; he sat up in the bed and clicked on the lamp. "Really? Does it hurt?"

She shook her head. "No. It kinda feels weird though. It's like when your stomach churns, but you can touch it. You can actually see it."

"That's so cool." He was sure she could hear his smile through the phone. "Have you been to the doctor?"

"Yeah, Britain took me yesterday. I'm 19 weeks and the due date hasn't changed. I have a sonogram picture for you. I didn't look it…I couldn't. But I'll give it to my dad to give to you." She reached over and touched the sealed envelope that held the first real picture of her child. She had her head turned through the sonogram, because she didn't want to see it. She knew that if she looked she would fall in love with the baby inside her and she didn't want that. It would be easier to just give it up, if she had no idea of what it looked like.

Jeff felt his heart sink. He had hoped that she would grow to love their child. He wanted something miraculous to happen and have her realize that this baby was a gift made from their love for each other. He had hoped that once she knew that, she would realize that she loved him and come back to him.

The silence on the phone was killing them both. "Thank you." He said softly. He could feel her slipping away from her.

"Jeff?" Chase's voice dropped to a near whisper. "I miss you."

Jeff smiled softly and rested his head against his pillow. "I miss you too baby. You think we can ever work this out?"

"I don't know, but I absolutely hate this. This is worse than my dad keeping us apart, because the only person doing it now is me. I love you." If she didn't get off the phone, she was going to start crying. "…I gotta go." Being without him hurt, but hearing his voice hurt more.

"Chase." He listened as she hung up the phone. Jeff closed his eyes and tried to think of someway for this to work. But he felt himself smile because at least she still loved him, so anything was possible.

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Maddy tried to get the ball down the center of the alley, without bending over too much. The skirt she was wearing was really not conducive to bowling; but she had suggested that's where they go. Dinner was fantastic, but it was still early and she didn't want the night to end; bowling seemed like the logical choice.

She found herself laughing every time Randy made a strike. He would put his arms up in that typical Orton pose and look around the bowling alley for people to praise him. She never knew that Randy was funny; sure her dad laughed at him all the time, but it usually because he messed something up. Randy was actually funny and rather sweet. All the things she never thought to label him as. She usually just considered him as hot as hell; she was happy to know that he was something more.

"Ok, if I make this strike, _you _have to buy me ice cream." Randy smirked as he picked up the bowling ball.

"But if you don't make a strike, _you_ have to buy me a pretzel." She countered.

The stakes were set and Randy prepared to complete his perfect score game. Just as he reared up to throw the ball down the aisle, he happened to look over at the next lane only to see Maddy bending over to pick up a ball from off the floor. _Oh my God. _He didn't even mean to let the ball go, but straight into the gutter it went; along with his mind.

After they got ice cream, he reluctantly took Maddy back to Dave's house. It was 12:58 and he was so proud that he had her home on time. As they made their way up to the porch, he grabbed her hand and walked her to the door. He knew, he wouldn't be invited in and really would have spoiled a wonderful first date.

"So, next week's the prom? What time do you want me to pick you up?" He still couldn't believe she was only in high school. _Nothing_ about her, said high school.

"Around 8? We don't have to stay long. I just want my friends to see my dress and my date…" She flashed those damn dimples again. "and get pictures. Then you can bring me back home." She knew he didn't really want to go; neither did she. But they were going to make the best of it.

"We'll find something to do." He smiled, finally noticing that he was still holding her hand.

Maddy looked down at their hands and spoke softly. "I had a really nice time tonight. I've been on a lot of dates, but nobody's ever treated me as nicely as you have. Thank you." She got on toes and kissed him on the cheek.

That might have been ok before, but not now. Randy finally got to put his hands in her curls and as he stroked the nape of her neck he tilted her head so that he could kiss her. Ever so slightly he parted his lips to let her tongue enter his mouth. Madison was going to be the death of him, but right then he didn't care. He could talk to Dave and make him understand. Hell, if Jeff Hardy could date, move in with and get Chase pregnant; surely Randy could kiss Maddy.

He pulled away feeling drunk. He hadn't blushed after kissing a girl since he was in the 9th grade. "Good night." He had to whisper it because he wasn't sure if he still had a voice after that kiss. He watched her wave and duck in the house. He waited on the porch a few extra minutes for no real reason. Then he remembered why he was waiting; as soon as he started down the stairs he heard the high pitched squeal of happiness from Maddy behind the closed door.

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As soon as Dave hung up the phone, he felt like shit. He still couldn't wrap his mind around how he let things go as far as they did with Rebecca. He should have known better; Britain would be devastated if she found out. It had been a long time since her felt fear, but just the thought of her leaving him for what he did, scared the shit out of him.

He walked across the room and opened the door. He didn't want to hurt Rebecca, but he had no choice. He didn't love her, he couldn't love her; he had used her to take away his hurt, nothing more.

"I'm glad you called." She smiled. She hadn't heard from him since that night they were together. Even though they worked at the same place, it was really easy to not be seen if you didn't want to be. Dave had made a point of staying in the men's locker-room until his match and then as soon as it was over, he went straight back to the hotel. She hadn't been able to catch up with him, he wouldn't return her phone calls, or answer the door when she knocked. He was avoiding her and she knew it.

Dave stood at the door. There was no reason to invite her in, what he had to tell her was going to short and sweet. "This can't happen. What I did was wrong and I didn't mean to use you, but whatever it was; it's over."

She was stunned. She was sure that once she got him in bed, he was going to see that she was better for him than his wife. "What do you mean it's over?"

"I love my wife, being with you was the worst thing I could've done to her. I don't know how I'm ever gonna make that up to her." It wasn't so hard to understand. Obviously Rebecca didn't know how much he loved Britain. "I was hurting and I came to you, but it doesn't justify sleeping with you."

Rebecca smiled with tears in her eyes and touched his cheek. "You deserve better than her. She's been hurting you for months. She doesn't make you happy, I can."

Dave felt anger well up inside him as he pulled Rebecca into his room and closed the door. "You don't know shit about my marriage. She makes me complete. Every married couple has shit with them, but that does not give you the right to tell me that she's not good enough for me. _I'm_ not good enough for _her_."

"You can love me and I won't hurt you. All she's done is lied to you, that's why you came to me, because I can take the pain away." She was desperate, he couldn't leave her. She wanted him. "Dave please, I know it's gonna be hard when you leave her, but we can make a life together."

It was at that moment that he realized she had lost her mind. "I'm not leaving Britain. What part don't you understand? I'm not in love with you; I don't have _any_ feelings for you. I _was_ attracted to you sexually; that's it."

"It was more than that. You wouldn't have called me whenever you needed to talk if that's all it was. You felt it too, I know you did."

"You were my friend, that's why I called you to talk. Somewhere along the lines, things got screwed up and we took it past friendship. I'm not blaming you for this…this was all me. But I don't want be your lover, I don't even wanna be your friend. I can't be because it would mean I would lose the love of my life." He pleaded with her eyes and tried to make her understand. "She means everything to me and I'm not giving that up for you or anybody else."

Rebecca nodded slowly finally getting the hint. "John was right about you. You are an asshole."

"John was right about something else too. He told you that I was going to go back to the woman that I was in love with." Dave walked to the door and held it open for Rebecca.

"I just hoped that woman would've been me."

He shook his head. "Not for me, you aren't. I only love one woman and right now I've gotta find a way not to break her heart."


	21. Proms and Emails

_Author's note: Merry Xmas and Happy New Year! Ok, FF is not sending me emails again, so you probably won't know when this chapter is up. Anyway; this was hard to write because I had to put the prom scene in it too and I didn't want it to be all drama. I'm trying to give you a break._

_Shanny_

Proms and Emails

Dave clinched his jaw as he opened the front door. Randy Orton was taking _his_ daughter to her senior prom. Something was wrong with that picture. Not saying that Dave thought Randy would not treat Maddy with the utmost respect, but Dave _knew_ Randy. They had been friends for years and following his second divorce, he and Randy …and one time John, had been on a couple rather _interesting_ dates together; thus solidifying the fact that he should have _never_ permitted Randy to be Madison's date. He wondered how John could be making jokes…he knew Randy too. He knew the kind of freaky shit Randy could be down with. Was he the only person that saw a problem with this?

Dave gave Randy a once over looking at his champagne colored Armani suit and moving his jaw from side to side. He angrily bit the inside of his cheek, when he noticed the Dolce sunglass that Randy tucked into his inside pocket. _This motherfucker…_Randy was too smooth, too fluid…too Randy.

Randy raised a nervous brow and wondered if he was going to have to stay out on the porch for the rest of the night. He couldn't remember why he agreed to go to the _fucking prom_. He didn't even go to his _own_ prom, now eight years later, he was going to have to sit through Madison's. "Can I come in?" He knew that look on Dave's face; he had seen it in the locker-room when he found out about Jeff and Chase. Dave was going to kill him and he wasn't sure that Maddy was worth dying over.

Dave squinted and moved to the side, never taking his eyes off Randy. His presence was booming; he filled the room with machismo, making sure that everyone felt his tension. "Where are you going after the prom?" No hello, no formal greeting, just a simple question. By his estimation, it should only take three hours tops to go the prom, be seen, take pictures and then Maddy should be home…untouched.

"I thought maybe we'd grab some dinner and hang out." Randy shrugged. Granted he didn't want to stay at the _fucking prom_ all night. High school kids weren't' his deal, but if Maddy wanted to, he would. Truthfully, having some alone time with Maddy seemed infinitely more interesting to him, then anything else.

"Hmm. Hang out…what that mean exactly?" Dave moved in closer to Randy and squared him.

"GQ man, leave him alone. It's Orton." John thought about that comment after he made it, and then realized it wasn't such a good idea after all. "You ain't gonna fuck this up are you?" He looked at Randy and gave him that same over protective look that Dave held. "Cause, we boys and all, but I will fuck you up if you lay a finger on her."

"God damn…y'all don't trust me for shit do you? What have ever done to Maddy?"

John shook his head, Randy needed a little reminding. "It ain't that you done somethin' to _her_, but ya done something to Stacy and Torrie and Dawn and Ivory and Michelle, that chick from make up, that girl in St. Louis last month…do I have to keep goin'?"

"She's a fucking kid…I'm not a pedophile. I'm taking her to her _fucking prom_, then dinner and then I'll bring her home. Ok? I swear." Randy had made the decision that it wasn't worth the aggravation; even if he did like her.

Silence filled the room as Britain walked down the steps with a huge smile on her face; followed by her was Madison. She was beautiful, she wore a champagne colored gown; the silky material was tight against her body, exposing _every_ curve that she was blessed with. The neck line plunged, showing cleavage that Dave didn't even know she had. Two thin straps of silk came up around her neck and served as the only thing keeping the top half of the dress in place. Outlining the neck was cream embroidery that gently swooped down, into the design that wrapped around her waist. That design forced your eyes to look at her breasts, and then it made them trail lower, to notice just how full her hips were. Then down the gown went, to the ground, with a spilt just off to the side, showing a bare leg and her gorgeous champagne Prada sandal.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she smiled at Dave and spun around so he could see all of her dress. The back, was completely open, the only hint of material was the silk that touched her sides and covered the front of her. Not until the gentle slope of her backside, did the dress reappear from behind. _Oh hell no, _Dave almost said out loud. However at that moment he was speechless. His little girl didn't look like a little girl anymore. From the gown she was wearing to the careful upsweep of her hair, and the subtle hint of make-up, Madison was a woman. _When the hell did that happen?_

Randy noticed it right away. Maybe death wasn't so bad; he'd lived a good life, and one night of sinful pleasure might be enough to keep him company as he rotted in hell for the rest of eternity. It was surreal, to have an erection watching his best friend's daughter walk down the stairs when said best friend is standing right next to him. He was sure everyone in that room knew what he was thinking.

"Holy shit! Damn you look good!" John said smiling from ear to ear. He turned to Dave and his smile grew wider. "You gonna have to kick his ass." He patted Dave on the chest and sat down to watch Dave go ape-shit on Randy.

Maddy blushed and stood in front of her father. "How do I look Daddy?" She needed his approval and appraisal. She flashed her dimples and gave him those big brown eyes that he ate up every time.

Dave shook his head. "Pumpkin…you look…" He continued to shake his head. Words could not describe how beautiful his little girl had become. "I'm speechless."

She looked at Randy and he smiled. He wondered if she could see him drooling. "I bought this for you." He held out the small plastic container that housed her corsage. As she stood in front of him, he felt his hands shaking to open the box and when he finally did, he gently let his fingers brush her wrist as he slipped it on.

"I have a buttoner for you; but you have to wear it if you don't want to." She bit her bottom lip and titled head slightly showing her embarrassment.

Randy shrugged; it was important to play it cool in front of Dave and John. "I'll wear it." He tried to look straight ahead as her hand gently touched his chest when she tried to pin the flower to the lapel of his jacket. She was so close to him, she smelled like coconut and Liz Claiborne. She was close enough for him to notice the slight shimmering of her skin, from her body glitter lotion. He swallowed hard when she smoothed the jacket back over his chest.

"Have her home by 10:30." Dave said sternly never taking his eyes off Randy.

Britain shook her head and pushed Dave out of the way. She turned around and looked at him with disbelief. "It's her prom; 10:30?" She then faced Randy and smiled. "Have her home before her next birthday."

After the pictures were taken in the house, Randy helped Maddy into her shawl, allowing his hands the briefest contact with her bare back. He couldn't help but to listen to the replay of all of Dave's rules, concerning the evening. But as he watched Maddy from behind as she stepped out on the porch, he knew if he made it through this night alive, it would be truly be a miracle.

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Britain's face stoic…surely this wasn't right. She had only gone to the computer to download the pictures that Maddy and Randy took at the house. She was going to send them to Emily, Maddy's mother, who had to work and couldn't be there to see her daughter off. She had hardly paid attention to the Outlook message pop-up, but the first few lines of the message caught her eye immediately. She clicked on the pop-up window and as she read the email, her eyes fixed on the screen in an unbelievable fashion. She felt her brows knit, she felt her pulse quicken, and she felt her world crashing around her.

"What's wrong?" X asked as she walked into the family room. She noticed the distant stare in Britain's eyes at the computer screen. The woman had been just smiling moments before when she looked at the pictures, now she looked like she had seen a ghost.

Britain turned her head and looked out into nothing in disbelief. "Look at this." Her eyes were far away as she still tried to process what was going on.

X rounded the desk and leaned over Britain and looked at the screen. Instantly, the apple she had been eating fell on the desk. "Oh shit. Brit, I…"

"You knew?" She searched her best friends face with confusion. "You knew?"

X shook her head. "John told me he _thought_ that she was a little too friendly, but he _never_ said anything about this." X was just as confused as Britain. She leaned against the desk and sadly looked at the younger woman. "What are you gonna do?"

Without saying anything, Britain hit the print button. She then proceeded to go to her inbox and noticed five other emails from the same address. She opened them, reading each one, feeling sicker and sicker every time a new message was opened. She printed them all, she needed to see them in hard copy because obviously the monitor was broken; it was distorting the words. Dave wouldn't do that, he wouldn't cheat on her. But those words were now in black in white on sheets of paper in her hand. She couldn't escape them, because they were staring up at her in vivid detail.

This was a lie…it had to be. Dave wouldn't do something like that; he loved her, didn't he. All this time, she thought it was her that was driving him away, was he actually pushing her away because of Rebecca? It didn't make sense; there was only one person that could tell her it was wrong, that Rebecca was lying. She got up from the desk and silently walked toward the living room.

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Randy could usually pose for hours on end, but posing with one hand on Maddy's hip and the other touching her back proved to be impossible. He couldn't touch her, but he didn't want to stop. The prom was the worst idea he had ever had.

When they got there, Maddy was swarmed by giggling high school girls, all cooing over how _cute_ she looked. Then those same girls, with dreamy eyes, started in on Randy. If he could've thrown up on demand, he would have just to get them away. The only saving grace was Scott and his cronies happened to notice just how fine Maddy was. Randy couldn't resist giving Maddy's ex the old Orton smirk as he put his arm around her waist and lead her to picture line.

Maddy was unusually quiet. She couldn't believe that Randy said he'd go and actually did. He was such a gentleman; he opened the doors, and he held his hand out for her to help her out of the car. She felt warm every time, he would place his hand in the small of her back and motion for her to walk ahead of him. He pulled out her chair when they sat and even attempted to make small talk with her friends. Randy was the perfect guy…she was the guy that she had been wanting since she could remember and even though their date the week before was incredible, nothing compared to the magic of prom night. She had always been infatuated with him, but now that was something more. Madison was falling in love.

"We can leave if you want." She said close to his ear so that he could hear her over the music.

Randy shook his head. "This is your night; besides aren't you supposed to stay to find out who the King and Queen are?" Although he hadn't gone to either of his proms, he had seen them enough on TV to know that you're supposed to wait until the court has been announced. "Besides, you haven't danced with me yet. You promised me one dance."

She smiled because he remembered. "You're really going to dance at a high school prom?" She knew Randy had an image to uphold; it was bad enough that he got dragged there; she wasn't going to embarrass him by making him dance there too.

"Yup and you're gonna dance with me." He stood up to his 6'4" height and held out his hand for her to take it. He noticed the way she bit her lip when she stood as well as the way the silk glided over her body once she was standing.

The club song, Latinos, was thumping in the background and true to form, Maddy freaked Randy. He wouldn't admit it, but he was having a good time; and the fact that Scott couldn't take his eyes off of her made it even better. Although he was probably the oldest one there, not including the chaperones, he seemed to forget about his image and just for that night, allowed himself to be Randy. Even being around a bunch of high school kids, wasn't all that bad. No matter what they were doing, he was dancing with Maddy and everyone else seemed to disappear.

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In the short walk from the family room to the living room, Britain had a range of emotions; she was angry, she was hurt and she was disappointed. As she looked at him on the couch, playing Madden with John her heart broke. They hadn't talked about that night three weeks ago since he got home. But he could just sit there with John and play fucking video games like everything was fine. She wanted to ask him, but when he looked at her, she couldn't. Instead stood right in front of him and slapped him hard across the face.

Dave was stunned, Britain usually popped him upside the head when he did something stupid, but she had never hit him before; especially not out of anger. "What the fuck did you hit me for?" He sat back and looked at her confused.

She tried to steady her voice as her brows came together in anger. "How long?"

"How long what? Why'd you hit me?"

She let out a breath and stepped back from him. This was going all wrong. "How long have you been seeing her?" Her voice cracked as she tried to contain all of the emotions she was feeling. Her eyes welled with tears, but she wasn't going to cry. If he could hurt her the least she could do to save face, was not to cry.

Dave stood up and opened his mouth to speak, but his brain wouldn't let him say anything. He thought of a millions ways to try to explain, but none of them justified what he did. His eyes moved from side to side as he searched for the way to put in words. Instead, he turned to John and noticed the pissed off look on _his _face. "I think you guys should leave."

"No." Britain shook her head and folded her arms across her chest. "They already know don't they? Well since I'm the last to know, why don't you fill me in on the details David? Do you love her?" Her heart broke when she asked him; the pain was audible in her voice.

"No, baby. I love _you_." He could feel his chest caving in. How she think he could love somebody else. His muscles screamed at him as he tried to stop himself from crying. This was going to be so hard, how could he do this?

Britain's breath came out in jagged spurts as she tried to control herself. "Are you sleeping with her?" She knew what Rebecca's emails said, but she needed to hear it from his own mouth.

Dave had two choices, lie and save his marriage, or tell the truth and risk losing his wife. He couldn't lie, not to her; but he shook his head slightly and gave her a pained look. She could read him like a book anyway…she knew the truth.

"Don't you lie to me." Her voice found strength and authority as she spoke to him. It would be short lived, but she needed to be strong for the truth.

"Britain, I didn't mean…"

The first tear rolled down her cheek and she took another step away from him. The further away she tried to go, the closer he tried to get. "Let me help you with that answer." She straightened out the papers in her hand and through teary eyes she read the email. "_Dave…I know you feel guilty about our time together because of your wife._" It was too hard to read it out loud, so her voice trembled and all of the words didn't come out. But he knew what she was saying regardless. "_How can you say that it was wrong, when it felt so right to have you inside of me? I still remember the way your body moved and the taste of you in my mouth_…fuck Dave, what did you do?" She whined her question as her heart sank further into her chest.

He could feel the sweat forming on his top lip as he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes. His entire face felt flushed and he felt sick to stomach, but he had to try to explain. His voice was low and he spoke slowly, almost like a child being scolded, he sucked in deep breath and pleaded with her eyes. "It was a mistake. It was all that shit with you lying to me and the infertility…I shouldn't have gone to her with our problems."

"Don't you dare make this my fault!" Anger was the new emotion that reared its ugly head. "I didn't make you fuck another woman; you did that all by yourself. _I_ didn't go outside of our marriage, you did; so don't blame this on me. You and Rebecca are to blame."

"Britain…please; let me explain…"

"Explain what David? How can you explain this? You got mad at _me_ and walked out on _me_ for something that happened 10 years ago before I met you. But you fucked another woman while we were married. How can you explain that?" Anyone that saw her face knew that her tears were angry and hurtful. She wasn't crying because she felt sorry for herself, she was crying because it was all she could do not to kill him. "So what is it David? I just don't _do_ it for you anymore? Does she give better head then me, what?"

Dave shook his head and begged her with his look. "Brit…it was one time. It should have never have happened."

"I don't believe you." A pained sound escaped her voice as she tried to breathe. "You haven't touched me in two of the six months we've been married. The last time we got close to making love, I had to fucking beg you to touch me." She shook her head because it all made sense now. How could she have been so blind? "I know you well enough to know that if you aren't getting from me, you're getting it somewhere else. So don't give me that one time, bullshit."

He didn't care if X or John saw him cry. Britain not trusting or believing in him was worse than anything he could have ever done to her. "We would talk all the time…I don't know how it happened."

She roughly ran her hand across her red nose and balled the papers up in her other hand. She threw them at him so that he could read them and understand how it happened. "See, that's the part I'm having a hard time with, too. I don't understand how talking ends up with your cock in her mouth, Dave. Tell me how that happens? TELL ME!"

He knew her and at that moment she was bordering on hysteria. He tried to go to her to comfort her, but she wouldn't let him. "Baby please…how can I fix this? Just tell me and I'll do it." He would do anything; beg, borrow or steal…anything for her to trust him again.

"I want you to leave." Her voice came from somewhere far, far away. It was as if someone else had said it to him because she didn't remember the words coming out of her own mouth.

He shook his head sadly as the tears continued to fall. "No." His words were pleading, begging her to change her mind.

"You're right, this is _your_ house. I'll leave."

"No." The words sounded like a breath, he had no voice to express his pain. "We can't work this out if we're not together."

"I can't work this out, with you here." She looked into his eyes and felt no compassion for him. He destroyed everything they had worked so hard for.

Dave finally got close enough to her that he could touch her face. "If I leave, you're going to decide that you want a divorce and I don't want that. I need to be here so you'll know how much I love you." He had to find some way to make her understand. "I'm sorry Britain."

She nodded in agreement. "You're right, you _are_ sorry. You're a sorry excuse for a man. For months, I've been pumping that shit in my body so that I could have _your_ baby, while you've been fucking Rebecca. She can have your baby…I'm done trying."

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

She wiped her tears and stood up tall against him. "Just go." She had to whisper and dropped her eyes from his because if she looked at him any longer she wouldn't have the courage to tell him to leave again.

"Where am I supposed to go? My home and my life are with you. I _need_ to be with you." His tears were coming as fast as hers were.

Britain walked around his solid frame and looked back at him. "Why don't you go stay with your _girlfriend_; I don't care anymore."

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Maddy stood with her back to Randy's solid frame and looked toward the stage along with everybody else. Why _he_ wanted to stick around at the prom when they could be doing other _things_ was beyond her. But still, just leaning up against him with his hands softly running down her shoulders was enough to make her forget that they were still at the _fucking prom_.

Randy felt himself smile, when she didn't move. He knew that she hadn't comprehended what was said. "That's you…you won." He whispered in her ear and nodded in approval when she turned around to look at him. "You need to go up there and your crown and stuff." He tried not to laugh, the whole Prom Queen thing was stupid anyway, but it was special because _Maddy_ won. She deserved to be royalty, if only for a night.

He watched from the crowd as she was crowned and admired the way the tiara complimented her gown. She was beautiful, shocked, but still beautiful. Even if Scott won prom king, it didn't matter, because the _queen_ was _his_ date.

Maddy and Scott were supposed to dance together, but she opted for Randy instead. Maddy was never a girl that followed the rules. She'd rather make her own and accept the consequences. "Will you dance with me?" She asked him with an unsure look in her eye. "I'll try not to step on your toes."

Randy held out his hand. "Just do it like we practiced." He led her out to the center of the floor and wrapped his arms around her. The moved side to side slowly to the beat of the song. He wasn't about to try any real dance moves with her, not with the entire senior class watching. He knew his mother would cringe at what they were passing off as dancing. She didn't make her kids take years of ballroom dancing classes for nothing. They were to be cultured and skilled in the art of 'tripping the light fantastic'. But even if Maddy wasn't Ginger Rogers, she was still graceful and he felt like Fred Astaire.

Maddy, who normally loved being the center of attention, could have cared less that everybody was watching them. She was dancing with Randy, his hands caressed her back, and her arms fit comfortable around his waist feeling the warmth of his body through his shirt. Everything about that moment was perfect …it was better than perfect. She tried to think of what that would be called; if it had a name, she was sure that better than perfect would be called, Randal.

Randy felt her head lift off his chest and he looked down at her with his cocky grin. Suddenly he stopped moving and just stared in her eyes. He slowly licked his bottom lip as his neck bent down to kiss her. He felt her hands touch his hair as her arms snaked around his neck. She opened her mouth to let his tongue enter…if they weren't at the prom, he couldn't be held responsible for the things he would do to her. But when he pulled away to look her lips, still glistening from his kiss, he sighed. He couldn't do anything, not with John and Dave already distrusting him so much; not when Maddy _trusted _him either. Maddy was making his life difficult and he knew at that moment what he needed to do. He would let her enjoy the prom and make this night special for her, but then it would be over; even if he didn't want it to be.

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Britain laid on the bed that she shared with Dave and finally she let herself give in to the pain in her heart. She wept openly, not stopping when Chase entered the room. She knew her step-daughter was in the house when everything had transpired, but she didn't care. Although she hated to tarnish the image of Dave in Chase's eyes, not even that was enough to make her feel guilty over making him leave.

Chase sat on the bed and stroked Britain hair. She curled herself around her crying body and held her close. "I'm sorry he hurt you." She whispered. She couldn't imagine what Britain was going through. If Jeff had done that to her, she would swear that her world would have come to an end. But then she realized, Jeff wasn't hers, anymore. He was now free to do whatever…whomever he pleased. How could she have done that? Jeff was her life.

"I don't understand; we made vows to each other." Britain's words were broken by her cry. "He was supposed to love me no matter what."

Chase could feel herself crying too. "He does love you. You never saw how he was with my mom or with Angie. He didn't love them. But with you, his eyes light up when you walk in the room. I never heard him laugh so much since he met you. My dad's been lonely and unhappy since I was a little kid. _You_ changed that. I don't know why he messed up, but I do know that he loves you." If only she could make Britain understand how sad Dave was before, then she would know what all of his daughter's knew. Britain was the love of his life.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this anymore. He wasn't supposed to be like the others ones…he promised he wouldn't hurt me ever again. He lied to me, Chase. He lied when he promised to be faithful; he lied when he said, he would consider me in all things. He wasn't thinking about me when he was fucking her." Britain closed her eyes, it was a bad dream. When she woke up she knew that she would be in his arms and none of this would have happened.

Chase wrapped her arms tightly around Britain and soothed her aching spirit until she fell asleep. And as she laid with Britain, she thought about her own love life. There had to be a way to be with Jeff, but what it was she didn't know.

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Dave pounded on Rebecca's door. How could she do that? It was _his_ place to tell Britain what happened. He had told her it was over, that meant for her to leave him alone. But no, she had to try to convince him that he was wrong for ending it.

She opened the door surprised to see him, but still grateful. "What's wrong?" She was full of concern; she had no idea what she had done.

"You ruined everything." Dave's voice broke down as he looked into her green eyes. "I told you it was over. Now she knows…my marriage is over because you won't leave me alone. I don't want you; I want my wife. I love her. How could you do that?"

She was stunned. "I just wanted you to know how I felt. I'm in love with you and I thought after you knew how I felt you would feel the same way."

"I told you it was a mistake. It shouldn't've happened."

Rebecca touched his arm. "I wanted it to happen. Since the day I met you, I wanted you. It was supposed to happen."

"You planned this? You broke my wife's heart to get me to sleep with you?" He was utterly confused. "All those times I confided in you, you were just taking fucking notes to use against her later? I came to you because I was hurt…I had no intensions of sleeping with you. You waited until I was vulnerable…how could you do that? You were supposed to be my friend." He tried to make sense of what she was saying; how could he have fallen in her web of treachery?

"You could've stopped me if you really wanted to; but you didn't because you wanted as badly as I did." She touched his face and tried to comfort him. "You felt it, Dave…I know you did."

Dave's anger got the best of him. He replayed that night in her room. He had gone there to tell Rebecca about the whole Jericho thing, but as soon as he got in the room, she kissed him. His mind was racing still over everything that Britain told him and he hardly noticed that she had already unbuttoned his pants and was on her knees in front of him. It all happened so fast. He should have stopped it, but he didn't; why didn't he stop it?

"What do you think I felt, because I'll tell you what I felt. I felt sad because my wife was sad and I wasn't there. I felt anger because she kept a secret from me. I felt ashamed because I knew I couldn't comfort her the way that she needed at the time. The _only_ things I felt were for Britain." He bent his head down so that he was face level with her. "Do you really think that I would give up my family to get my cock sucked from a whore like you? Did you think that I was gonna leave her and my kids to have something with you? Are fucking crazy?"

Tears rolled from her face. This wasn't going how she had planned. He was supposed to leave her once she knew...that's how it supposed to be. "You wouldn't have made love to me if you didn't love me, too."

Dave laughed a sarcastic laugh. "I make love to my wife. I _fucked_ you." It had been years since this side of Dave had came out. He could be a real asshole and he knew it. He'd had plenty of girlfriends between his marriages and all of them could attest to the fact that when Dave was pissed, he didn't give a fuck what he said or who he said it to. If that's what he had to be to make her understand, so be it. "Was it worth it? Was it worth destroying my marriage, just so you could say I fucked you? Because it wasn't worth it to me…you didn't make me cum hard enough to make me turn my back on the woman I love."

"She needed to know. You were taking too long to tell her." Rebecca knew what she was doing when she copied Britain in on the emails. She had made a point to CC her on everyone that she wrote Dave. She knew he wouldn't admit to it, and as long as he kept it a secret, he would stay with her.

"You stay the fuck away from me and my family or I will make your life a living hell. I must have been crazy to trust you...you ruined my life." Dave slammed her door and walked down the stairs of her apartment complex. He didn't know what to do or where to go, but all he knew was somehow he had to make things right.


	22. Saying Goodbye

_Author's Note: FF is still on crack, so Lord knows if you'll ever read this. Both this chapter and the one before it were posted when there were no alerts being sent. Anyway, even through the technical difficulties the story has reached 100 reviews! Does Happy Dance I'm excited, it's my first one. The Edge of Reason got close with 92 reviews but this one surpassed that! Thank you, it really means a lot!_

_Shanny_

Saying Goodbye

Jeff Hardy cursed the day that he ever met Shannon Moore. He wished he could go back in time; if he could he would have never helped the small six year old boy whose chain popped on his new bike. If he _could_ back in time, he would have let that little boy walk his ass the mile and a half from the baseball field to his own house. But no, Jeff had to be a good guy and offer to take Shannon and his bike back to his house so that Matt could fix it. Now he was stuck with the little bastard and all of this matchmaking attempts.

He sat in the far corner of the restaurant, pissed. Why he had let Shannon talk him into going on yet another blind date was beyond him. The last three were horrible; Jeff made sure of that. Shannon didn't seem to understand that he didn't want to date anybody; he wanted Chase back. But Shannon tried to convince him that it was time to get back in the game. Jeff watched as people walked in the door and wondered what this chick would look like. Shannon had already hooked him up with a leggy brunette and a busty redhead so Jeff figured; this one must be a blonde with a big ass.

He ran his hands nervously over his khaki pants…why he had to wear a dress shirt was beyond him. He never _had_ to dress up when he went out with Chase, so why did Shannon insist that he 'look nice' for whoever this bimbo was?

As he let out a sigh, he let his eyes drift back to the door and what he saw made his breath catch in his throat. He was right, she was blonde. She had shoulder length blonde hair and big blue eyes…she was beautiful. She wore a cream and pink sundress, that made the skin on her shoulders and arms glow, the cut of the dress showed how round and subtle her breasts were, and lower was the beautiful round presence of her full tummy. Jeff had never seen Chase look more beautiful in all of his life.

She flashed her dimples at him as she started across the room, noticing how he stood up when she got close. She had battled with herself for a week trying to decide if she would actually show up. But Shannon had convinced her that Jeff needed to see her; he said it was important and really she wanted an excuse to see _him_. She paused when she got to the table. She had never found talking to him difficult before, but what in the hell did she say to him now?

"You cut your hair." Jeff was the first to speak, he knew it should have been something else, but he had always loved her long blonde hair. "It looks really good." Everything about her looked good to him. He rounded to her side of the table and pulled out her chair for her to sit. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks." She said quietly taking a seat. She dropped her eyes immediately when he sat down across from her and looked at her. "You look really good too. There's no color in your hair." She had only seen him a few times with his natural color; although he looked good no matter what color his hair was, she always liked it dyed the best.

Jeff shrugged. "Just don't really feel like it these days." He took a sip of his water and rested his hands on the table. "So what are you doin' here? Did Shannon call you?"

Chase nodded. "He said you needed to see me about something."

Jeff decided that when he saw Shannon again, he was going to slap the shit out of him. "I didn't need to see you…I'm glad you're here, but I didn't ask him to call you."

Chase nodded slowly trying to hide her disappointment. "Oh." She looked up at him and it suddenly became clear. "You thought you were going on a date tonight?"

"Shannon's been hookin' me up with girls. It's really stupid." He ran a nervous hand through his hair and sat back in his chair. "I keep makin' sure that they don't ever want to see me again. I got a list of things to do to turn 'em off." He couldn't help but to laugh when he thought of how easily he had repulsed some of the girls he had seen recently.

She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "What have you been doing?" She knew how Jeff could be, if he didn't want to do something he would go out of his way to let everyone know.

He gave her his best innocent face. "Nothin'…you know the usual; makin' decorations with my food, askin' for the kiddy placemats so I can do the word searches…puttin' ketchup on everythin'. Just bein' me."

"Those are all of the things I loved about you. You don't care where you are or who you're with; you're just always you." This was harder than she thought. She was talking to him as if he was her ex; he _was_ in fact her ex, but she still loved him.

Jeff could tell how uncomfortable she was. "What about you? You datin'?" He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs at that question. He didn't want to know the answer because if she said yes it would kill him.

Chase shook her head and chuckled. "Please. Guys don't really find girls with big pregnant bellies attractive."

"Then the guys you know must be fuckin' crazy. You are beautiful."

She could feel the blush start in her cheeks and go all the way down her neck; even her ears, she knew, had turned red. "You only say that because what's in my tummy is yours."

"Ours." He corrected her and then looked up as the waitress approached.

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Three weeks…three weeks in hell is what Dave had been spending. He was tired of traveling with work and even more tired of going back to Tampa and sleeping at either John's or Randy's. He wanted to go home; home to his wife. Even calling her everyday, several times a day, did nothing for mending his marriage. He had hurt Britain beyond anything he had ever done before and he didn't know how to get her back.

He had even gone so far as to talk to Stephanie and explain the situation. Although she was pissed with him, she agreed to give him three weeks off so that he could try to work things out with Britain. His last appearance before his vacation would be when the WWE finished their European tour. At least he would see her during that trip because she was taking the girls to England; then he'd have almost a month with her and no interruptions, to try to make things right.

He rested his head on the wall as he listened to the phone ring in his ear. She always answered on the second ring, but now it was on the fourth. She wasn't home; he couldn't help but to wonder where she was…who she was with…what she was doing.

"Hello." She said in a low voice.

He held his breath at the sound of her. "Hey." He said softly.

"What time is it, Dave?" She wasn't in the mood to talk to him. After the day she had had, she was glad to finally get to sleep. There was a mix up with deliveries at the gallery and the Mateo paintings were selling out, but the shipping company wanted to charge The Blank Canvas an arm and a leg to move the product. Jeff wasn't any help, but she could understand. He was going through so much with Chase that the gallery wasn't a second thought to him. But right now, Britain didn't have anything else, she dove into the work that she had been neglecting head first.

He looked over at the clock. "It's only 8:30."

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I'm going to sleep."

No. She couldn't get off the phone. He _needed_ to hear her voice. He had a million things to say to her. "I want to come home." His voice was so small and pleading. He couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his face or the quivering as he spoke. "Please Britain; I want to come home with you."

She wasn't going to cry anymore. She was convinced that her eyes couldn't make tears anymore; she had cried them dry. "I'm not doing this right now. I'm going to sleep."

"Please? I'm so sorry."

She could feel herself get angry all over again. "Are you sorry for what you did, or are you sorry that you got caught?"

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. It didn't mean anything." He didn't care how many times he had to tell her that, he would keep telling her until she believed him.

She replayed all of the conversations they'd had over the last few weeks; all of the crying, all of the yelling, all of the hurt. It still didn't get easier to talk to him. She just wanted him to leave her alone so that she could sort out whatever it was that she was supposed to sort out. But with him always trying to make her forgive him, it was hard. "It seems like a waste, huh? You gave up something that was supposed to mean everything for something that meant nothing to you. How do you think that makes me feel? At least if it meant something to you, I wouldn't feel like I was so easy to discard."

Dave shook his head. She was twisting his words. "Baby…you mean everything to me. That's why I need to be there with you, so I can prove it. I'm tired of living without you…I can't breathe without you. Please… let me come home." His voice was a whisper because his pain had robbed him of his vocal cords.

She had officially given up. If he was going to come home, she was going to leave. It didn't matter anymore. "Do whatever you want, Dave. You always do." She hung up the phone placing it back on the cradle and closed her eyes.

Dave covered his face with his large hands and wept openly. So what if he was a big time WWE Superstar, who could walk outside of John's house and bring 20 women back with him within a matter of minutes. The one woman he wanted didn't want him anymore and he didn't know how to handle it.

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Jeff and Chase walked side by side around the park. It was a place that they would always go when she was still living in Cameron with him. They didn't talk much, but just being in each other's company was comforting. As they approached the bench, he motioned for her to sit down. He knew that she must be tired from the flight there and then carrying all that extra weight in the front of her, must not have been that fun either.

Chase turned to him as he sat. She had been avoiding this conversation, but it needed to happen. "Were you able to get paternity leave? Because after the baby's born, I want you to just take it, ok?" She offered a little smile and nodded her head. "I don't want to see it, but I don't want it to be lonely until you get there."

Jeff's heart sank as he blinked rapidly to try to control his emotions. "I'll be there. I'll be there for the whole thing." Oh, how he wanted her to change her mind. "Vince gave me six weeks once the baby's here. That'll give me enough time to find a nanny to travel with me." He looked into her blue eyes and saw nothing but sadness. "My lawyer drew up some papers for you to sign. They say that you agree to waive your parental rights to the baby once it's born. I told her that wasn't necessary, but she said if I wanted to get married later and the woman wanted to adopt the baby; it would be easier just to get it out of the way now."

Chase smiled. "Just like my Dad adopted me…"

He nodded. "You don't have to sign 'em. I don't want you to."

"I'll sign them." The thought of Jeff finding another woman to marry made her sick. But even more sickening was the thought that someone else could adopt _her_ baby and raise it with Jeff like it was theirs. "I want the baby to have good life and if you can find someone that will love it as much as my Dad loves me, I know everything'll be fine."

Jeff wanted to shake some sense into her, but he didn't know what that would do. She did not want his child. There was nothing he could do to change her mind. He was surprised when her hand reached out to his and she placed it on her belly. "I think the baby remembers your voice." She said with a smile.

Jeff's eyes grew wide as he felt his child move for the first time. Tears instantly started to roll over his eyelids and he closed them over the feeling. He let his hand travel the expanse of her tummy feeling every kick, punch and roll that his baby made inside her. He knew the baby was alive before, but he had never been able to reach out and touch it. He carefully leaned down to place his head next to his child. "Hey little one…remember me? I'm your daddy." His voice was thick with a sob as he tried to hold it back. "I'm gonna see you real soon, ok. You be good and let mommy get some rest until its time for us to be together. I love you."

Chase herself couldn't stop crying. Jeff was so beautiful with this child. Why couldn't she be? Why did she have to be so damn stubborn and selfish? "The baby's doing fine. I go to the doctor next week; I'm almost 6 months."

Jeff sat up but didn't remove his hand from her stomach. "Daddy's been helpin' me get ready. He made me buy all this stuff; I don't even know what you use half of it for." He wiped his eyes and smiled with excitement. "You should see what I did to the guest room. I turned it into a nursery and I did this mural…you wanna see it?"

She nodded; she wanted to be happy for Jeff. Although she didn't want the baby it didn't stop her from wanting it to have everything it deserved. With Jeff's help, she stood up and walked with him to his car. It had been almost three months since she was home last, and she had never been sadder about it.

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Britain felt her eyes flutter open…she could always tell when someone was staring at her. She looked over through sleep filled eyes and felt herself cringe at the sight of Dave. She knew that he would come home whether she wanted him to or not, but still she wasn't ready to see him.

"I'm just gonna get some clothes and sleep in Alli's room." He said in low voice turning to his dresser. He fumbled around removing his pajamas and underwear for a shower, then he turned back to her. She never said anything, she just stared at him. "Can we talk in the morning?" Still, there was no answer from her; she didn't blink once, she just kept looking at him. "If you need to yell at me or hit me or whatever you need to feel something towards me, its ok. I'm here; I'll take whatever you give me." Still, no response from her, but her eyes, now blue in color, continued to bore holes in his skin. As he walked toward the door he turned back on last time. "I love you Britain."

It was not until he was in the hallway and she heard the master bathroom door close, did she finally feel one tear slid down her face. It was going to be harder to leave than she thought.

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Chase's eyes bugged out of her head when she was all of the baby stuff Jeff had crammed into the guest room. He had everything, he spared no expense; he'd even bought things that she'd never seen before. The nursery looked like a small scale Baby's R Us. "It's only one baby, Jeff. Do you really think you'll need all this?"

He smiled and helped her into the room, making sure that she didn't trip over the stuff on the floor. "I ain't had chance to put it all away yet. But the crib came last week and I got that up. Feel how soft this is." He ran his hand over the round mattress and smiled. He had always wanted a round bed as a child and figured, _his_ child might as well have one. The crib was a simple white crib, round in shape, with high wooden rails, with the softess white bedding set on it. There was a mobile of the cherubs hanging over top; obviously something that he'd made.

As he clicked on the lamp, he watched Chase's face change. On the wall on one side of the baby yellow room, was the mural that he'd painted. There were angels and cherubs flying around and in the center were Chase adorned with her wings, her hands resting on her round belly, smiling down at Jeff, who was on his knees with his head pressed against her. She couldn't stop the tears as she walked out of the room.

It was almost second nature to her to go into the room they once shared. She sat on the bed and let the cry in heart come out. She could feel him watching her from the doorway. "Why'd you put me in that painting?" She couldn't find her voice. There was too much guilt around it.

"Because I want _our_ child to know how beautiful her mother is." He walked over to her and knelt down. He picked up her hands and kissed them. "It takes a beautiful person to want the best life for their child. You're willin' to give her to me, so that she'll be happy. No matter how bad a person you think you are, you're givin' her the greatest gift. You let her live."

Chase smiled a little. "What if she's a boy?"

He shook his head. "No, she's a girl; I know it. From the day we found out, I been prayin' for a little girl. I hope she looks just like you, because I don't ever wanna forget your face."

The flood of tears behind her eyes started again. "I'm sorry Jeff." She whispered, touching her hand to his cheek. "I wish I could be strong like you."

Jeff took the liberty of wrapping his arms around her. No matter how badly she was hurting him, he still loved her with every bit of his soul. When he looked into her eyes, he had to kiss her. He had to know if she still loved him as much. He sniffled when he pulled away; the strength of her kiss told him everything he needed to know. "I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow, but stay with me tonight. I want to make love to you, I want you know that matter what I will always love you." He pleaded with her eyes and then closed his when she kissed him again.

Shannon Moore might have a little bastard in Jeff's mind earlier that night, but at that moment that he laid with Chase, he couldn't help but to think that maybe Shannon was truly his best friend. Chase was as beautiful as she had ever been and even more so as his hand gently trailed over the roundness of her belly. Every nerve in her body responded to him with a new passion. She was softer than he remembered; her skin glowed like he had never seen it before. Her body was warmer and everything about her intensified his love for her.

They might have a baby that she didn't want any part of, but she still wanted him. Only, he couldn't separate himself from his child, so if this night was the last one they shared, it was going to be the night that both of them would remember for the rest of their lives. He made love to her several times that night and a few times in the morning; reacquainting himself with her touch, feeling his child settle into a peaceful stillness underneath of him. And when he rested his head on her so that they could sleep, his hand never moved from the mound in her belly.

There were so many emotions between the two of them, but they both knew one thing; no matter what happened when she went she went back to Tampa, they would always love each other and this child would always be a reminder of that love.

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Leaving Dave was easier than Britain had expected. As she sat on waiting room of the Baby Phat offices in New York, she couldn't fathom how easy it was just to walk out the door and not say anything to him. What she hadn't planned on were Maddy and Alli.

"_Don't go, please? What about our trip? You promised." Maddy held on to Britain so tightly that she was sure she would break the older woman in two. "Don't leave us." She whispered so that her father, who was watching from the dining room, wouldn't hear._

_Britain could feel her eyes sting, as she pulled back to stroke the younger girl's hair. "Madison Avenue…I'm still going on the trip. I don't break my promises." She smiled at Maddy. "I'm going to New York because I have to work; I'll be there for a week. I'll meet you guys in London, just like we planned, ok?" She had never lied so hard with a smile before in her life. "Everything's still set, but I'll just be in a different room than you guys. We'll have fun."_

_Maddy wasn't buying it. Britain might be going on the trip, but she knew she wasn't coming back home. "What about after?"_

_Britain sniffled and tried like hell to reassure the girl in front of her. "I'm going to stay with my parents for a little while."_

_Maddy looked at Dave with tears running down her face. "How could you do this to us?" She had never felt anger like that toward him before. Of all of the people in her family that treated Maddy like she was important, it was Britain. Britain didn't care that she wasn't Chase…the perfect one; nor did she care about Alli's trophies. Britain cared because Maddy was Maddy. She looked back at her step-mother and her chin quivered. "Are you coming back?"_

_Britain sucked in a tearful breath and cried. "I don't know liebschen. But I promise you I'll be here for graduation. And I'll be around sometimes for my gallery. But you can come to California and visit me whenever you want." She wrapped her arms around Maddy and cried against her shoulder. "I love you."_

_Even Dave was trying to hold back his tears when he watched his youngest daughter Alli, wipe her face on her sleeve as she joined Maddy in hugging Britain. "Please don't go." Alli said holding her tight. "I'll be nicer to Maddy, I promise. We'll stop fighting. I'll even keep my mom off your back; just don't go."_

_Britain pulled away and looked at Dave's daughters. "This has nothing to do with you guys." She looked up at Dave and cursed him for making her break their hearts. "Your dad and I are going through some things right now and I need some time to work them out."_

_Alli nodded. "That's what Angie said, and then they got divorced. We didn't even like her, so it didn't matter. But now you're saying the same thing, so I guess it doesn't matter that we love you, huh?"_

_Britain felt her heart break. This was worse than finding out Dave cheated on her. Alli told her she loved her. This was the child that she couldn't figure out if she even liked her on some days. Alli always kept her distance. She'd rather stay at home with her mom, than go on family outings with them. She knew it was because Alli was so loyal to Emily, but still she had no idea how she felt. _

"_I love you both, too. I love your dad; but right now I can't be here." Britain picked up her bag from the floor and started toward the door. "I'll see you both next week. We're gonna have fun, ok?" She nodded her head at the girls and wiped her eyes. "Don't be too hard on him, it's me that decided to leave; not him."_

_Just as she walked out the door, she heard him call her name. "Britain, please don't go. I'm sorry, please."_

_She didn't turn around; instead she got in her car and started it. It didn't matter that he was standing outside on the porch begging her to stay. She told him that she couldn't work this out with him; she needed to do it alone. _

After a quick trip to her hotel to drop off the information she received for the Baby Phat fashion show, she found herself knocking on the hotel room door of Chris Jericho. She knew that right now she needed a friend and Chris had always been there for her.

He wasn't surprised to see her, he knew she coming to town. But what he hadn't counted on was what she was about to tell him. He watched silently as she offered a small smile and stepped into his room, flopping on the bed.

She laid on her back looking at the ceiling and covering her face with her hands. He hated when she cried; it tore him up every time. Chris made his way over to her and laid next to her with his head touching hers. "What's up Buttercup?"

Britain shook her head and sighed. "I told him, Chris. He knows everything."

Jericho raised his brows and looked at the ceiling along with Britain. "Didn't go so well, huh?"

Britain laughed and wiped her eyes. Jericho always could calm her down. "Oh… it went over like a lead balloon. He was so pissed in fact, that he walked right into the bed of another woman."

Jericho let out a breath and pursed his lips. "Whoa."

"Yeah. I don't know what was worse, telling him about Marcus or finding out about this."

"You know, I saw Marcus the other day. He's still an asshole." Jericho said placing his hand over hers and lifting it up so that he could play with her delicate fingers.

"How'd you ever continue to work with that guy?"

Jericho laughed. "I didn't, not really. Steiner didn't break his neck in that ring…his neck was broken in the locker-room."

Britain turned her head to look at Jericho. "You didn't?"

He shrugged. "What he did was unforgivable."

She turned back to the ceiling and noticed how white it was. Hotels always had the worst paint jobs. "Just like Dave." She said quietly. "I don't know what to do, Cupcake. Tell me what to do."

"If you want your marriage to work, then you have to forgive him." He made no motions to look at her, only talk and hold her hand. He needed her to know that he was there for her. "If you forgive him, then _forgive _him. Don't bring it up when you guys argue, don't hold it over his head for the rest of your life. You have to let it go."

"How do I forget this?"

Jericho shook his head. Britain was such a black and white person; she never appreciated the grey areas. "You never forget, doll. But you let it go from your heart. Otherwise, that shit will eat you up."

Leave it to Jericho to be the voice of reason. "How'd you get to be so smart?"

"My wife forgave me for you."

Britain rested her head on Jericho's chest and hugged him. She thought about that one weekend they spent all those years ago. She remembered how she was friends with Jess and how she broke her heart by sleeping with him. It wasn't planned, neither of them were out to hurt her; it just happened. They were both going through shit at the time and turned to each other for comfort. "I never meant to hurt her."

"I know; neither did I." He stroked her hair, placing a soft kiss in the black curtain of waves. "Just like I'm sure that Dave didn't mean to hurt you either." He squeezed her shoulders and let his head fall back on the bed. "But that's all in the past. That's where you have to leave it."

Britain's voice was distant as she let the events of late run through her mind. "Do you ever think that if all that stuff didn't happen and I had the baby that we would have been together?"

Jericho shook his head. "No." His answer wasn't mean, but it was honest. "I always thought we made better friends than anything." He could feel her nod against his chest. "Besides, if Jess didn't leave me, then I would've never realized how much I loved her and I wouldn't have asked her to marry me. I can't imagine my life without her or my kids."

There was a long silence between the two of them as they reflected on that life that happened so many years ago. "Chris?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you ever think about the baby?"

Jericho closed his eyes and felt a tear slip out anyway. "Everyday, Buttercup…everyday."


	23. Real Feelings

_Author's Note: Again, still no alerts...Princess Mel, I have no idea when FF will fix this problem. All I can say is check periodically. I'll be posting another chapter tonight. I really want to have this finished by January 2._

Real Feelings

Britain laid on the bed and closed her eyes. She was sure this was the worst day in the history of her young life. What was supposed to be a relaxing family vacation in England, was turning into a fucking disaster. It was only 2pm, London time, and already the day was shit. To start the plane she took from LaGuardia to Heathrow took off two hours behind schedule and as if travel delays weren't bad enough, when she got to the hotel, she didn't have a room. Had she known that Maddy had gone to the front desk and canceled her room, she more than likely would have strangled her.

Being late and roomless, Britain found herself alone. It seemed that once Alli was dropped off at soccer camp, Maddy found hanging out at the pool and drooling over the lifeguard was more fun than hanging out with her step-mom. She'd traveled all this way to be with the girls and they were gone. The only thing that could have been worse was if Dave walked in. Someone in heaven must really have hated her, because no sooner did the thought pop in her head, the door opened. _Shoot me now_. She never looked up from her position on the bed; she laid on her side facing the wall, hoping that he would just leave her in peace.

To say that Dave was shocked to see her would not be a strong enough word. He knew she was coming, to spend time with the girls, but he had no idea that she would be in their room. "Hey." He said not trying to hide his surprise. He sat his bag down and stood at the foot of the bed.

Britain tilted her head slightly and looked at him before fixing her eyes back on the wall in front of her. "Hi."

"What are you doing here? I thought you got another room."

Britain shrugged. "The hotel lost my reservation and it's just my luck that there are no more rooms here. The concierge is calling around for another hotel, so I'm just hanging out."

That was the best news he heard all day. It took everything he had not to jump up and down. "You don't have to find another room. There's plenty of room here. You can stay…" His voice was so fully of hope. "I'd like it if you stayed."

Britain fell silent and prayed that he would just go take a shower or something. She was willing to lay there all day until Maddy returned. She didn't want to talk or look at him; she just wanted to be left alone.

Dave rounded the bed and sat next to where Britain laid. "So how did New York go?"

"It was good." She always hated small talk.

"I wanted to be there…you know how much I love to watch you work." His voice was deep and low as he tried to plan every word he said to her. "But I didn't know if you'd want me there."

She had nothing to say. So what he wanted to be there, she didn't want him there, she didn't want him _here._ "Yeah well, it was still fine." There was a definite tone of annoyance in her voice as she spoke to him. He wasn't getting the hint, because she noticed that he was still sitting there.

Dave watched as Britain laid stoically on the bed, her eyes fixed on nothing. He could feel his hope and optimism slip from him as her body language made it perfectly clear that she didn't want anything to do with him. "Britain…" His voice dropped down to almost a whisper. He had to let her know how he felt. "This is killing me. I don't even know what to say to my own wife."

"I saw Jericho in New York. He told me that if I wanted our marriage to work that I had to forgive you. But I don't if I can." She felt her eyes tear, but she wasn't going to cry; not yet anyway. Since he seemed to be so damned determined to talk, _she_ was going to do the talking, whether he liked it or not.

He almost reached out his hand to touch her, but he knew that would send all kinds of emotions through her. He wasn't going to say anything, instead he was going to listen; he owed her that much.

"I forgave you once when you asked for a second chance. I don't give second chances, but I did with you." Her voice started to fade as the pain and sorrow started to come through. The slow tears ran across her face as her head never left the pillow. "You hurt me, but I forgave you. You promised never to do that again, but you did. How many times do I forgive you before I'm just being stupid?" She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what it would take to save their marriage. "You can't keep hurting me Dave. I won't let you."

His heart broke. He remembered the last time he hurt her; it was when he told her that all he wanted from her was sex. It was the time that he was angry with Jeff Hardy and his daughter for seeing each other behind his back. Britain had been the person that he lashed out at; it had taken two months for her to let him back in; he had no idea how long this would take.

"You can't keep being all perfect and wonderful one minute and then break my heart the next. It's not fair." She finally let her eyes drift to him and she could the tears pooling his too. "I've been with guys that didn't give a shit about my feelings. I knew they were only with me because they wanted to get off or because I looked good on their arm and that was ok, because I knew where I stood. I knew that I would never have anything real with them, so I always protected my heart. But with you, I told myself it was ok to let you in; that I didn't need to protect my heart anymore, because you just wanted to fill it with something good. So I was left open and you were able to hurt me more than anybody ever could."

He reached out and put his hand on her leg. "Britain…"

"It's not the first time I've been cheated on, but it's probably the worst. I'm so in love with you and that makes it hurt so much more."

This had been eating him up for weeks. He knew it would break her heart, but the calm way in which she told him exactly what he had done to her threatened to break his spirit. He had vowed to love her, to honor her and the cherish her; all of those vows he broke the minute he stepped into Rebecca's room.

"Everyday, I get these random men telling me all of the things they want to do to me. I hear how they want to bend me over, have me in leather and lace…all the sick shit that they could do and they all swear that I will love it." She let out a small laugh at the thought. "There's even been some that I actually wonder if they could do all the things they say. But never once did I want to find out. Since I met you, I've never wanted anyone else, because you were everything I wanted; you were everything I needed." She closed her eyes as her tears started to fall faster. "Why wasn't I enough for you?"

"You are. I don't know why I fucked up, Britain. I wish I could take it back, but I can't. I just need to know what we can do to go forward." His words were gentle and honest. He was tired of begging, tired of feeling sorry for himself. It was time to do something about his mistake. "I'm willing to fight for our marriage because I believe that it's worth fighting for."

"You use to tell me that I was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen. Well I haven't felt beautiful in a long time. My husband would rather sleep with another woman that he doesn't care about, then to be with me. Why?"

He was going to be completely honest with her. "I couldn't make love to you because I needed to make sure that I didn't feel anything for her. You deserved more than that." He reached out and touched her cheek. "You deserve more than me. I fucked up, I know it; I take responsibility for it. But it doesn't change how I feel about you. I still love you with all of my heart."

Britain looked at Dave with tears in her eyes. "Maybe love isn't enough anymore."

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Hiding…he couldn't believe he was hiding. Randy Orton was a 28 year old man, hiding from an 18 year old _girl._ He felt like a pussy. But it was all he could do to keep Maddy away from him, or was he keeping himself away from Maddy? That night at the prom a few weeks back was _almost _the biggest mistake of his life, but he handled it like a pro. He had promised to be the perfect gentleman and he was; sort of. After they had left the prom and gone to dinner, they went to the beach. Not _much_ happened, outside of some heavy kissing and maybe a few innocent touches here and there. But he was good.

It was the night that Britain left that was threatening to be Randy's downfall. Maddy was so upset by everything that she went to his apartment. It started out innocent, just him holding her and telling her he was sure everything would work out, but then things went horribly wrong. He had told himself that after the prom, he was only going to be her friend; he was going back to being _Uncle Randy_, so imagine his surprise when somehow her shirt ended up across the room and he still hadn't found his yet.

"I fucked up." He sat on the floor between the double beds in John's room. John was the last person he should be talking to about this particular situation, but hell he was going crazy inside.

John absently listened to Randy as he cleaned his white Reebok classics with a toothbrush. "What'd you do this time?"

"I almost slept with Madison." Randy covered his head with his hands and let his head hit the dresser with a loud thud.

John shrugged and continued cleaning his shoe. "So?" It took a few minutes for the magnitude of that statement to register with John. "Wait…Madison, who?" He looked over at Randy's face and shook his head. "Maddy, Madison? As in Madison Batista? As in Dave's very young, barely legal, just turned 18 about 5 months ago daughter, Madison?" When Randy didn't answer, John hummed his tennis shoe at him. "You motherfucker."

"I know, it's fucked up. I shouldn't even be thinking about her." He let his head roll over to look at John. "But I can't stop. Plus the fact that she's _everywhere_ doesn't help either. I went down to the pool earlier, she was laying out…with this…" he motioned across his body to show the cut of her swimsuit, "thing on and…I need to go to therapy or something. I'm a pedophile."

John laughed. "You're not a pedophile; she _is_ 18. However, you are a dirty old man. She's a fuckin' kid, dude. Leave her alone."

Randy shook his head. "You just don't know her. There's nothing about her that says kid. She's got this amazing laugh; it makes you smile when you hear it. And those dimples…oh my God." Randy sat up straight and his movements became more animated. "And she has this nervous habit of tucking her hair behind her ears and she always drops her eyes when she's embarrassed…"

"Motherfucker…you got it bad." John didn't know whether to shake Randy's hand or plan his funeral. "You're in love, and you're going to die."

Randy let out growl of frustration. "Just help me to stay away from her. _I _know it's not a good idea, _you_ know it's not a good idea…the only problem is _she_ doesn't care, what we know. I gotta make her stop liking me. I tried to tell her that it couldn't work; she doesn't care. I tried to ignore her calls; she shows up at my apartment. And every time I tell her that nothing can happen between us, she fuckin' kisses me; these kisses are like…"

"Wait a minute. When did you kiss her?" John suddenly needed to know all about this Randy/Maddy affair. Why was he just finding out about it? Randy couldn't normally keep a secret for shit.

"I should be locked away in a maximum security facility." Randy shook his head. "It started a few months ago, when she woke up in my bed…I should have stopped it after that first kiss. But then I took her out on a date and we kissed again. Then the fucking prom and the beach. Then at my place, I don't even know how her top came off…"

"Woke up in your bed...her top came off?" John stood up and covered his ears. "I don't want to know anymore. You're makin' me an accessory after the fact. I ain't doin' time, because you're nasty. She's a fucking child; leave her alone. You got pussy chasin' your ass all over the country and you tryin' to tap a young girl. You's a sick man."

"Dude, help me. Please. Just let me hide out here for awhile, that way I don't have to see her." He never in his life thought he'd meet a woman and not know what to do with her.

"Look dude, I'ma be straight with you. I think this shit is twisted, but you a sick boy. If you like her, talk to Dave first. You know how he was with Jeff. Y'all are boys; don't do nothin' behind his back." John shook his head again, just before opening the door and leaving Randy alone to sulk. "You just fuckin' wrong, dude."

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One thing Britain loved about Maddy was her romantic outlook on life, but not so much when she was trying to make them Britain's reality. She did not want to go and see Dave's match, but Maddy had insisted. Once they had arrived at the arena, Maddy made a b-line to find Randy, leaving Britain alone.

It was something about being there that started to piss her off. All of the people she knew that worked with Dave were all coming up to her, smiling, saying how good it was to see her. She couldn't help but to wonder if they all knew too. Were they helping him keep the secret? Did they know that he had fucking around on her behind her back? How many other bitches were they covering for? The more she thought, the angrier she got.

"John, where's Rebecca?" Britain was too calm and it scared John. She hadn't even realized that she had been walking the halls looking for her.

John could read Britain's calmness; he had seen it before, mostly in Dave. He too was always very calm before he went buck wild. "Yo, B…that ain't a good idea."

Britain felt her anger come to a new level as angry tears started to touch her eyes. "Oh, so it's ok for her to fuck my husband, but it's not ok for me to want to find her? Fine…I'll find her myself."

She found herself walking quickly, almost to the point of running; she just had to find her. She wasn't even sure what she was going to say to her, but all she knew was she had to see her. She didn't pay attention to John yelling and running behind her. As she rounded the corner, she felt herself bump into a large object. She didn't fall back, because the object grabbed her arms to steady her. Britain found herself staring into the eyes of Hunter Hearst Helmsley and decided that this _was_ the worst fucking day of her life.

For Hunter and Britain's relationship, if it could be called a relationship, to be so volatile, he looked at her with affection. There were so many things that he wanted to say to her, but the look in her eyes, the tears pooling but refusing to spill, took all of those words away. "Britain…I heard what happened."

She let out a laugh. That was all she fucking needed. "Great, so what am I now the talk of the fucking locker-room? I bet you're really glad that he fucked around. You never wanted us togehter anyway."

"Look, for what's its worth, I'm sorry. I know how much you love Dave." His words were kind and so out of character for him.

Britain yanked her arm away from him. "Yeah well, too bad he doesn't love me back."

"He does, I know he does. I just…I just wanted to tell you I hope you guys can work this out."

She tried to stop the muscles in her face from contracting as she calmed herself. "You want help me work this out? Tell me where I can I find Rebecca. Can you do that?" She felt herself starting to cry. Why the fuck did she keep crying? "Can you?"

Hunter looked at John and knew it was a bad idea. But, truthfully, Rebecca deserved whatever Britain did to her. He didn't say anything, but he motioned with his head toward the door next to them. He watched as she wipped her eyes, sucked in a breath and held her head high; she opened the door to the Diva's locker-room, then he looked at John and they both followed her.

When Britain finally came face to face with Rebecca there were a multitude of things running through her head; the first of which was ripping her fucking face off. She noticed how the other Diva's were looking at her. She must've looked a hot mess. Britain was always put together, even when she dressed down, which was most of the time. She had a way to make a simple pair of jeans and t-shirt look like it came from fancy boutique and it had just been modeled at a Paris fashion show. But this day, not even the black dress paints and white long sleeve shirt she wore, did her any justice. .

"Pinche punta." _Fucking whore._ She said it loud enough to make Rebecca turn around to see who it was. "¿Cómo podrías hacer esto?" _How could you do this?_ She looked at Rebecca, really looked at her. She wasn't anything special, why did Dave want her?

Lillian Garcia walked over to Britain and gently put her arms around her. "Britain, calmete. ¿Cuál es incorrecto?" _Britain, calm down. What's wrong?_ She had never seen Britain upset before. She was always in a good mood. She regarded the taller woman's eyes, how they fixed solely on Rebecca and based on that glare, Lillian backed away. She couldn't run fast enough to find Dave. She knew that there was about to be some serious shit going down in that locker-room and he would be the only one to stop it.

Britain never let her eyes fall, even if Rebecca did look like she was scared for her life. She advanced slowly, cursing her existence in both of the other languages she was fluent in. But she wanted Rebecca to understand every word that she said, so she made sure to say them in perfect English. "You came to my house, you ate dinner with my family and the whole time you were after my husband. You want him? You can fucking have him. I'm not competing, I _don't _compete. I have never had to fight over a man before and I damn sure ain't doing it now."

Rebecca saw how the other Divas looked at her, how they dropped their eyes in shame and a few backed away from her. It was an unwritten rule amongst the girls; fuck with the guys that aren't married and the ones that are, leave them alone. It wasn't hard to do. She broke the cardinal rule.

"Britain, _we_ didn't want you to get hurt." The way she used the word _we_ made Britain sick to her stomach. They weren't a _we;_ there was Dave and there was Rebecca; they weren't a _we_. But Rebecca being the bitch that she was saw this as her opportunity to rub it in Britain's face. "You kept lying to him; it was only a matter of time before he got tired of dealing with all of your shit."

Britain had to look around to find out who the fuck she talking to. She looked at Hunter who turned his head, then at John who lowered his eyes. They both knew, it was on. Her voice was calm and it dripped venom with each word she spoke. "Bitch, don't you ever speak out of pocket to me again. You don't know me, I will fuck you up." Britain had been raised for the first 14 years of her life in Baltimore, Maryland, which in any given year was the murder capital of the United States. She had spent years taming the ghetto side of her, but it always reared its head when needed.

Rebecca couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that came from her lips. "Don't get mad at me because you couldn't keep Dave happy. If you made him happy, it wouldn't have been so easy for me to take him."

Dave arrived at the door of the locker-room just in time to hear those words come out of her mouth. As soon as he started to charge in that room, he felt Hunter and John hold him back. "Let B handle it." John said, looking Dave in the eye. They wouldn't let it get _really_ out of hand, but she had to handle her business.

Britain couldn't help but to feel some truth in her words, but she wouldn't Rebecca know that. "You didn't take him from me, I gave him to you. But know this, if he will cheat with you, he's gonna cheat on you. I hope the two of you are fucking miserable together." She started turn around and noticed Dave standing there. She turned to Rebecca and smiled. "And don't forget, every time you kiss him…it's me your tasting on his lips." She just wanted to get out. She was standing in the same place as her cheating husband and his mistress; it was too much to take.

"You're nothing special, Britain. You can't keep your man happy; you can't even have his baby." She knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as the words floated in the air; but it was too late to take them back. She looked up and saw Dave's face instantly wanted to cry. However Britain's hand slapping her across her face is what actually brought the tears out.

Britain couldn't stop herself. She cursed Rebecca in Spanish as she commenced to beating her ass. She grabbed her by the hair with one hand and around the neck with the other and pushed her back until she heard Rebecca's back contact with the lockers behind her. Once she had her against a solid object she swung on her with everything she had. It was not until Dave and John pulled her away did she stop swinging. She turned around and looked her husband in the eye. "Is that what you want? You fucking want _that_? Fine; I don't care anymore Dave…take her." She ran out of the locker-room so that Rebecca wouldn't see her cry. That bitch didn't deserve her tears.

John caught up with her and pulled her into a warm hug. "It's ok B. I told that bitch, you was gonna kick her ass. She was warned." Britain laughed at John, causing him to laugh too. "You ok?"

She nodded. "I'm gonna go back to the hotel. Can you or Randy bring Maddy back? I can't be here; I don't want be here."

John watched as she ran out of the building, but turned around when he heard yelling coming from the locker-room. He knew that sound in Dave's voice and though Dave would never hit a woman, but Dave would do anything to _anyone_ that hurt Britain.

"What the fuck is your problem?" He closed the space between him and the crying woman in front of him. "If you _ever_ talk to my wife like that again, I will forget that you are a woman." He angrily slammed his fist into the locker right about her head, causing her to scream.

John pulled him out of the room and tried to calm him down. "Let that shit go. You need to see about your wife."

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Randy stood in the locker-room looking like a deer in headlights. He knew it didn't look good from where John was standing. He was only wearing his wrestling trunks, no t-shirt covering his chest…just those little black trunks; well, that and Maddy. She was in the dressing room, what was he supposed to do? She had on this little baby-doll t-shirt and these jeans that he swore she had to grease her legs up to get them on, they were so tight. But more than that, she literally just walked into the room and kissed him. Did John really expect him to push her away? He was a red blooded American male for God's sake.

"You gotta have the most drama filled family I have ever met in my fuckin' life." John said as he walked passed the two kissing culprits. "Britain was just in here and beat the shit outta Rebecca, Dave's on the fuckin' war path and you're in here with this motherfucker. Y'all are tryin' to give me a fuckin' heart attack, but I ain't goin' for it. I'm gonna get my shit, go back to my hotel room and call my girl. I'm stayin' out of this shit." He grabbed his bag from the bench and turned to Randy. "You wanna get yourself killed go right ahead, but I ain't comin' to the fuckin' funeral."

Maddy and Randy watched as John walked out of the room, still rambling about how all of the Batista's had lost their minds. He stepped back from Maddy and looked at her. "This can't happen; he's right."

"So what I want doesn't matter?" She asked sadly.

Randy sat on the bench and took her hand so that she stood in front of him. "Maddy, listen. I think you are a really sweet girl, but you're a little too young for me. I don't want to take advantage of our friendship. You think you have this crush on me, but that's all it is; a crush. In a few weeks, you'll have a crush on somebody else."

Maddy looked at him like he had two heads. "I'm not 12 Randy, I know what I feel. I'm in love with you. And I don't really care what my dad thinks, or what John thinks or what you think for that matter. I know what I feel and I know that you, although you might not be in love with me, feel something too."

"I feel friendship." He lied so well. He kept his heart rate steady and never took his eyes off of hers. "I don't feel anything else but friendship."

She shook her head. "I would have never pegged you for a coward." She walked out of the room and left him sitting there wondering what he had done.

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Dave laid down in the bed next to Britain who was still crying. She never turned to look at him and it broke his heart. He couldn't just let her lay there and cry. He spooned his body next to hers and put his arm around her holding her tightly. He closed his eyes when he felt her arm clutch his and her other arm go around his neck to pull him closer. This was progress; at least she would let him hold her.

"I love you." He whispered still rocking with her. He felt her turn around in his arms so that she faced him. He wiped her tears and looked down at her face. "I never meant to hurt you." He took a chance by letting his lips touch hers softly. When she didn't slap him or pull away, he kissed her again.

She looked into his eyes, those eyes that she always lost herself in. She loved him, no matter what he did, she still loved him. Jericho had told her to forgive him; could she? She touched his face as he kissed her and could feel that he loved her. That kiss was so pure and passionate, how could he not love her? She guided his head to neck and closed her eyes against the feeling of his body on hers. Maybe this is what she needed to get over this; maybe if she could just feel that he still loved her she could move past the hurt.

Dave was painstaking slow removing her nightgown and even slower letting his hands roam across her body. He wanted her to feel every movement, every kiss, and every thing in his physical expression of love to her. He could still feel her aftershocks from crying, but that did not stop him from trying to prove how he felt.

She didn't protest when her clothes came off, nor did she protest when he removed his. But it something about the way his lips felt on her stomach that made her close her eyes. _What if he kissed her like this? _All she could see was him doing everything to Rebecca that he was doing to her. This wasn't right; it wasn't supposed to be like this. Her voice was quiet when she found it. "You need to wear a condom."

He thought he heard her say something, so he stopped his advances and looked at her face. "What?" He asked just as softly.

"You need to wear a condom." Her voice quivered at the request. Since she had met him, he hadn't ever worn a condom with her. There had never been a need until now.

He was confused. He brushed the hair from her forehead and questioned her with his eyes. "We're trying to have a baby…"

She shook her head. "No." Why wouldn't her brain and her heart agree on something? They were fighting a war inside of her body that was driving her insane. "I wanted a baby with you, when I was sure that the only thing you were sticking your dick in was me. But now I don't trust you and I don't know where you've been." The anger and embarrassment came flying out of her mouth. "So if you're going to fuck me, you're going to wear a fucking condom."

Dave rolled over and let out a deep breath. "Why are we even here then Britain? If you don't trust me, why do you want to have sex with me?"

"Because I'm horny Dave. I need to get off." She wanted him to hurt as much as she was. "It's a physical need and you're just a means to an end." She sat up covering herself with the sheet and looked at him. "What did you think, you were going to make love to me and everything was going to be fine? Did you think I would forget? You can't fuck this out of my system."

Dave opened his eyes and looked at his wife. He knew that she was in the mood for an argument and truthfully, he was ready to give her one. For almost a month, he had begged her and pleaded with her, but to no avail. Though he refused to just leave her alone, if they didn't get down to the real issue, they would never get past this. "What do you want me to do Britain? I don't know what else to do. I'm trying here, because I know I fucked up and because I don't want to lose you; but I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle."

"Every time I close my eyes, I see you with her. Just tell me, tell me why it was so special. Tell me what she did that was so different. I want to know."

He got out of the bed and found his boxers. He wasn't going to play this game. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"Tell me; you owe me that much. Did she ride you or did you fuck her doggy style? Did you press her legs up to her head? Did she let you fuck her in the ass? I need to know what she did that I didn't."

Out of shear frustration, he put his hands on the top of head and his muscles all flexed at the same time. "Stop it. This is ridiculous. Nothing I tell you is going to make you change your mind. It doesn't matter how it happened; it happened. I wish I could take it back…God you don't know how much I wish I could."

"Just tell me!"

He sat on the bed next to her and looked her in the face. Britain always had a way to get under his skin like nobody else could. "You wanna know what happened? You wanna know how I fucked her? Do you?" His voice started rise along with his anger. He was sick of this. "I walked in the room and she kissed me, then she blew me. I slid her panties to the side, my pants were down around my thighs and I fucked her against the wall; that's it. There was nothing romantic about it; it wasn't slow, it wasn't sensual, it wasn't good; I don't even know if she got off. I didn't care. I fucked her and I didn't give a shit how she felt about it and I really didn't care if she liked it. After it was done, I pulled my pants up and I walked out of her room. I didn't say anything to her. I went to the bar and I had a drink and tried to figure out what the fuck I just did. That's it…that's the whole story." He felt like shit when he heard her cry at his description. "Do you feel better now? Did that make it all go away? Because I don't feel any better by telling you that." He grabbed some extra blankets and pillows from the closet and started toward the door. "I want our marriage to work, but I'm not doing this anymore. This is the last time I'm having this conversation. It didn't mean anything, it never meant anything and it never will. Now you have all of the information you need; you decide what to do next!"


	24. Early Arrivals

_Author's Note: Ok, I think this is the end of the weepy chapters. Things are getting too tense, so I hope that the next few chapters will be lighter. I still have resolve a few couples; namely John and X...I haven't talked about them much. It's 2:45 in the morning; I tried to edit, but I'm sleepy, so forgive the typos and missed words. I'm sure I'll catch them when I reread it tomorrow. Anyway; I'm interested to know how you feel about this..._

Early Arrivals

Jeff could still hear the frantic sound in Maddy's voice. Normally when he had a signing he would keep his cell off, but for some reason he decided to leave it on; he had never been happier about that decision.

"_Hello?" He tried to smile at the woman and her young son in front of him as he pulled the top off of his Sharpee and began to scratch his name on the copy of WWE magazine._

_Maddy couldn't control herself. "Jeff… here. Chase … stairs…"_

_He put his finger to his ear to try to block out the noisy convention in the background. "I can't hear you; you're breakin' up. Who is this?"_

"_Maddy…Chase…stairs…baby…hospital…"_

_Jeff stood up, he couldn't make out all of what she said, but the panic in her voice scared him. "What? What hospital?"_

"_Ambulance…General…"_

_Jeff heard himself yelling into his cell phone. "Maddy, I'm on my way ok? Just stay with Chase. I'll be there real soon."_

_He looked over at other table and noticed how Dave's head popped up at the mention of his daughter's names. Jeff walked away from his table and over to Dave. "Somethin's wrong. Maddy said somethin' about Chase fallin' and the hospital. I'm leavin'."_

_Dave's heart started to pound too. "Go; I'll met you there…let me talk to Charlotte and tell her we're leaving."_

_Jeff didn't wait to for any other instructions. He went straight to his rental and to the airport. The flight from Williamsburg to Tampa wasn't that long, but the airport seemed to be extra crowded and the traffic from the airport to Tampa General Hospital took an hour longer than it should have._

Jeff looked around frantically as he walked through the sliding doors of the hospital. All he needed was nurse or patient information, but he wasn't even sure which entrance he had come in. He stopped the first person he saw that wore a hospital badge. The woman didn't speak English, but she led him over to the nurse's station on the floor and offered him a small smile.

"Um…my girlfriend's here. She fell or somethin'…she's about 6 ½ months pregnant." His voice shook as the adrenaline coursed through is veins. "Her name's Chase Batista."

The man behind the counter punched a few buttons on the computer and looked at Jeff. "She's in Labor and Delivery. You need to take elevator C down to the second floor. When you get off make a right and the registration desk is just past the double doors."

Jeff never ran through a hospital before, but he could give a shit about the people looking at him. Truthfully, he must've looked like a freak. He had on baggy black jeans with a chain hanging down his leg and a grey long sleeve T that read, _Naked Bowling_ on the front and on the back, _How Do You Like These Balls?_ His hair was orange and purple and it whipped wildly around his head with each stride he took. He didn't care that the people in that uptight hospital thought he was crazy. All he could think about was Chase.

After surrendering his license and being strapped on the wrist with a name band and ID number, Jeff slowly walked back to find room 4. He almost didn't hear Maddy's voice calling his name as he rounded the corner.

"Maddy? What happened?" He looked at the crying girl and couldn't stop his brows from coming together in concern.

She continued to sob, but somehow found the words to speak. "It was an accident. We didn't mean it." She looked at Jeff and saw how his face changed. "Me and Alli were arguing again and I got mad and pushed her. Only I didn't see Chase standing there and Alli fell into her; she fell down the stairs." She grabbed Jeff's arm as he started to walk away. "I didn't mean it Jeff; I' m sorry."

Jeff couldn't say anything to her; he had to get to Chase. He walked away from Madison with his heart pounding and his mind racing. But when he finally made it to Chase's room, all he wanted to do was cry.

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Chase laid on the bed in the most uncomfortable position in her life. They had forced her to lie on her left side, with her knees slightly drawn to her chest. It really wasn't so bad lying like that except she had been in that same position of three hours now. They made her wear an oxygen mask, which she swore was trying to suffocate her and she kept hitting the IV in her left hand on the railing so it was starting to bruise her wrist. To top it off, the fetal monitor they had strapped around her waist was too tight and with the slightest movement she made would lose the baby's heartbeat, making all of the doctors rush into the room.

She was finally able to get a few minutes of sleep, when she felt a hand touch her hair. She opened her eyes and felt herself smile a lazy smile when she looked into the most beautiful pair of green eyes she had ever seen.

"Hey baby." Jeff's southern drawl was pronounced as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I got here as soon as I could."

Chase nodded. "I fell."

"I know. You ok?" He reached out and put his hand on the mound of her stomach making sure his baby was still in there.

She tried to smile and be brave, but looking Jeff made that impossible. She shook her head. "I'm not hurt, but they don't about the baby." She placed her hand over Jeff's and her eyes welled with tears. "It use to move all the time…it's not moving now, Jeff."

He soothed her hair and pulled the chair up closer to her bed. "You hear that? That's the heartbeat so the baby's ok."

Her heart ached to tell him so many things and the look on his face told her it was alright to do so. "I knew I'd be a bad mother. I can't even keep my child safe. I didn't want to have a baby, but I don't want it to die."

He kissed her cheek still smoothing her blonde hair. "The baby's gonna be fine. You're both gonna be fine."

Chase grabbed his hand. "I don't want to lose my baby, Jeff. I want my baby …please don't take it away from me." She was begging him. All that time she had to herself in that hospital room she thought about how much she loved that baby, whether she wanted to admit or not. She thought about how she felt the first time it kicked and how she felt to hear that someone else could raise it. She remembered how she smiled, when she first starting showing and how no matter what she did, she would instinctively place her hand on her belly. At night, when she would go to sleep she would rub her belly and talk to her baby; telling it how wonderful Jeff was and how happy that baby was going to be. It finally hit her; _she_ wanted to be a part of that child's life.

Jeff let a big smile cross his lips as a few tears fell from his eyes. "I would never do that. That's I wanted in the first place; I just wanted us to be a family." He leaned over and pressed his lips to forehead.

"We can't be, because you're going to find somebody else and my baby's gonna die. And it'll be all my fault." She grabbed on to him and cried. Karma was a bitch. For months she had thought about ending her pregnancy because she didn't want the baby, now that she wanted it God didn't want her to have it.

"You listen to me, I love you and nothin's gonna change that. I knew since the first time I saw you in that hotel, you were the one for me." He reached around his neck and undid his necklace, pulling her engagement ring off the chain. "I been carryin' this around with me for months. How 'bout I put it where it belongs?" He looked into her eyes and told her everything that was in his heart. "I wanna marry you. I want to raise our baby together."

As the tears coursed down her face, she nodded and extended her hand so that he could place the ring on her finger. "I love you." She whispered and felt his lips touch hers.

"I love you too." He should have been ecstatic at that moment, but with everything going on, he couldn't be. "Now you get some rest. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Chase closed her eyes and moved Jeff's hand under her head. "I'm scared."

"I know baby. Me too." He pressed his lips to her forehead and silently prayed that everything would be fine.

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As soon as he saw the doctor walk into the room, Jeff sat straight up. Chase had been asleep for a little over a half hour and the constant heartbeat of his unborn child was slowly lulling him to sleep as well. He nervously ran his hands over his pants and stood up to greet the doctor. "How is she?"

Dr. Monique Allen looked at Jeff and smiled. "Are you family?"

Jeff nodded. "I'm her fiancé and the baby's father." Wow, he was a fiancé and a father; when the hell did he grow up?

Dr. Allen looked at the chart and pulled Jeff to the side. "We examined her and she's fine. But when we did blood work, we found that she's leaking fetal blood into her blood stream. That means that there's a tear in the placenta somewhere."

Jeff tried to understand what that meant. "So what are you sayin'?"

"There's a very good chance that she could go into labor. Right now, we've given her medicine to stop any contractions and we have her lying on her side to increase blood flow to the baby. I can't make any promises, but we're trying to keep that baby inside."

He scratched the back of his head as a million questions came to the forefront of his mind. "It's too soon to have the baby. She's only 6 ½ months."

"I know, that's why we don't want her to go into labor." She looked over at the heart monitor and made a few marks on the echocardiogram. "If she does have the baby, there could be a number of complications. There's no way to tell if the lungs are developed yet. Preemies have a lot of uphill battles; but we're not going to worry about that yet. Right now, we need to keep her calm and try everything we can to keep her from having that child."

Jeff nodded and looked over at Chase as she slept. He had dreamed about seeing his baby's birth, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine this. What was he supposed to say to her after he promised her everything would be fine? As he sat back down in his chair at her side, he let his hands touch her stomach. "You stay in there, little one. It's not time yet." He hoped that his words to his baby were understood and he prayed that child wasn't as stubborn as its mother.

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Chase's eyes opened wide as she looked over at Jeff. He was asleep in the chair next to her, but she couldn't wake him. It's not that she didn't have a voice to say anything, she was afraid that if she said it out loud it would be true. She felt the first sharp cramp in her stomach and squeezed Jeff's hand until it subsided. She had been feeling this pain while she slept, but it was nothing like what she was feeling now.

"Chase, what's wrong?" Jeff asked feeling a pain shoot through his hand. He noticed her face, soaked with sweat and how big and scared her eyes looked.

"My water broke." She whispered. She dared not mention the contractions yet. She was still trying to understand why her water broke. Fresh tears started in her eyes. "My water broke; no…make it stop, Jeff. It's too soon."

Jeff was tired of being strong when all he wanted to do was have _her_ hold _him_ and tell _him_ everything was going to be ok. He couldn't stop his own eyes from clouding with tears, then he felt her squeeze his hand again. "You're havin' contractions?" His heart broke when he asked that; this horrible nightmare was becoming a reality. He couldn't figure out what to do. "I need to get the doctor."

Chase grabbed on to him and shook her head violently. "Don't go. I can't do this without you. Please, just make it stop." She was desperate; she would do anything to make it stop. She didn't care about the pain or anything else. All she wanted was her baby to stay inside until it was time for it to be born.

Tears started to run down his face. "I need to get the doctor, 'cause they need to check you out. I'll be right back, I promise."

"I want my Daddy." She cried on his arm. "Can you find him?"

Jeff nodded and wiped his face. "I'll get 'em and the doctor. I'll be right back." He ran out of that room, not listening to her beg him not to go. She needed help, that's all he knew. His first stop was at the nurse's station to tell them that her water had broken. He didn't wait around for their questions either. He walked straight into the waiting room and looked around until he spotted Dave.

Jeff stood there, looking at Dave, Maddy and Matt. He didn't even know when or how Matt got there, but he had never been happier to see his brother in all of his life. "Chase wants to see you."

Dave stood and took in Jeff's appearance. His eyes were red and he had tears; something in that room was going horribly wrong. "Is she ok?"

Jeff looked up the ceiling to try to keep his tears at bay. "Uh, she tore the placenta or somethin' and they gave her medicine. But it ain't workin' 'cause her water broke and now she's got contractions. It's too soon, so the baby might not make it." He didn't know what to do when Dave's arms came around him. But out of instinct he hugged him back. "My baby's gonna die."

"No son" Dave bent down to look Jeff directly in the eye. "That baby is going to make it. You have to believe that. You have to be strong enough for both of them right now. No more talk about that baby dying; you got that?" His words were firm, yet comforting. "I'll be out in a minute."

Jeff sat down next to Matt and leaned his head on his big brother's shoulder. "I ain't never been so scared since Mama died." Jeff never talked about his mother or how her death affected him. But Matt knew exactly how Jeff felt. "I know Jeffro."

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It took everything Dave had not to wrap his little girl up in his arms and carry her home so that he could take care of her. Every time she ever got sick, or caught a cold, he would always wrap her up in her favorite blanket, make sure Scraps was safely by her side and hold her in his lap while stroking her hair until she fell asleep. That's the way Daddies take care of their little girls. But right now, there was nothing he could do and it killed him.

As he walked over to the bed, he forced himself to smile. "Hey Princess." He sat down and stroked her hair before giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "You doing ok?"

Chase looked up at her father and tried to offer a smile. "I'm scared Daddy."

"I know, Princess. But everything's going to work out; I promise." He knew he had no right to do that, but she needed him to believe it. He reached out for her hand and raised his brows. "New jewelry?"

"I'm going to marry him Daddy. I love him." She knew he wouldn't fight; not now. Everything they were going through was so beyond this argument of whether or not he approved of their relationship.

"I know you do. He loves you too." So what Jeff Hardy wasn't his first or the hundredth choice for his daughter? He was the man she chose and he had no choice but to accept that.

"He wants you to like him."

"After seeing how good he's taking care of you tonight, I just might start. But don't tell him that." He smiled at her and took her hand. The strength in which she squeezed it let him know right away what she was going through. "Ok baby. Let's breathe through this." He mimicked the breathing that he had learned all those years ago in Lamaze with Emily. He never forgot them, even 18 years after he had learned them.

Chase breathed along with her father and cried through the entire contraction. "I want to keep my baby." She told him with a determined voice and gritted her teeth against the pain.

"I know you do. You wouldn't be fighting so hard if you didn't." He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

Chase lifted her head and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry I messed up things with you and Britain."

He wasn't sure how to take that; she hadn't done anything. "You didn't mess things up; I did a pretty good job of messing them up all by myself." It was crazy for her to think that she had something to do with it.

"If I didn't want to have an abortion, then she wouldn't've told you about hers; then you wouldn't've got mad and cheated on her. I keep messing things up. I use to be so smart, but I can't stop screwing up now. I can't even stop this baby from coming." Guilt takes on so many twisted angles. It has a way of jading everything around you so that you feel like there is nothing done without you as the cause.

"You listen good, that was not your fault. I did that…not you. Nobody drove me to anything, _I _made the mistake. Do you understand that?" He had to leave or he was going to lose it, himself. How can you watch your child go through what could possibly be the worst day of their life and not be able to do anything for them? "You want Jeff to come back in?"

She nodded and squeezed his hand through one more contraction. She smiled when he got to the door and told her he loved her. "I love you too, Daddy." She closed her eyes and ran her hand over her stomach and prayed that her child would make it through everything. All she wanted was to be as good of a parent as her Daddy was to her. If God let her baby live, that's what she vowed she would be.

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Jeff's fingers were numb. For a little over an hour, Chase had squeezed all of the feeling out of every finger on his left hand, and when that hand couldn't take anymore abuse, she started in on his right. It was the least he could do, considering. He talked softly to her, telling her how beautiful their wedding was going to be. He even joked with her about who they were going to get to carry their baby, who was to be the flower infant, down the aisle.

As the doctor walked in, she examined Chase. "She's 10 centimeters and at a plus 2 station; she's fully effaced." She informed a nurse who was busy opening a paper gown for her to slip into.

Jeff's head came up from Chase's as he looked at Dr. Allen confused. "What's that mean?"

As she put on her mask, she looked over at the scared couple. "It means that with the next contraction, you need to start pushing. This baby's coming whether we want it to or not."

"NO!" Chase wailed and started to grab onto Jeff. She knew there was nothing he could do to stop it, but she wanted him to try. "It's too soon…just give me something to make it stop." She could feel the contraction building inside of her, but she refused to give into it. She was going to keep that child inside of her for the next three months; even if it killed her.

As the doctor lowered the bottom portion of the bed and sat at between her legs, she spoke firmly to Chase. "If you don't do this, your baby will die inside of you. You have to push it out."

Jeff looked at her as the tears started to fall from his eyes. "You gotta do it. I'll be right here."

Chase let out a jagged breath and sucked in another one before she concentrated all of her energy into forcing her baby out of her body. The pain was immense; between having her uterus constrict forcing the child down into her pelvis, the shape of the child trying to move past her cervix and forcing all of her muscles to aid in the process, she thought she was going to be split in two. She let out a scream as she felt the baby move through her. This was worse than anything she had ever imagined. If it hurt this bad at only a little over 6 months, what was it like at full term?

"That's good, baby. You're doin' real good." Jeff said as she continued to squeeze the life out his hand. He couldn't even feel the pain there anymore, because the pain in his heart was too great. "Come on. One more."

Chase sucked in another breath and held it, as she forced all of the muscles in her lower body to comply. She felt her pelvis separate as the baby's head started to crown. A burning pain shot through her perineum. There was no need for an episiotomy; the baby was too small; but it still didn't lessen the pain.

"You want to see this, Daddy?" Dr. Allen asked. "The head is out."

Jeff never let go of Chase's hand, but moved down so he could see his child's face for the first time. He let out an audible cry as he gazed on that little face. He covered his mouth with his free hand and let his tears drop onto the floor. "Oh my God. She looks just like you." His heart swelled with happiness at seeing that tiny face. He didn't care what problems they had to face from now on, that baby was here and it was real.

"Just one more push and we're all done." Dr. Allen instructed. As Chase pushed one final time, the baby was turned and slid the rest of the way out. "It's a girl." She announced, quickly handing the baby over to the NICU staff in the room.

Jeff went over to Chase and held her. "It's a girl; I knew it. We have a daughter…" He almost couldn't get the words out because he was crying so hard. A mixture of elation and terror overcame him. His body shook as he held on the woman that he loved and they rejoiced and grieved over their child at the same time.

Chase grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him close. "Why isn't she crying Jeff? Why?"

"I don't know." He was afraid to look, because he didn't want to know that his worst fear was true. "She's gonna be fine."

"Go see her. Please? Make sure she's fine. Make her cry…she needs to cry." Chase couldn't concentrate on hearing her child cry because it was now time for her to deliver the placenta. She watched helplessly from the bed as Jeff stood by the basinet with his hands covering his mouth.

"She's so little." He apprised his baby girl, who he swore was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Is she ok?"

The nurse was rubbing the baby's back and holding an oxygen tube near her face. "She's having hard time breathing. We need to get her upstairs to the NICU right away."

He watched as they weighed the little girl and took her foot prints. They even put a print of hers on his shirt, which made him smile. He looked at the scale, she was only 3 ¼ pounds. Liger had puppies that weighed more than that. "Can Chase see her, please? She needs to see her Mommy."

"Just for a minute. We really have to get her upstairs." The nurse wrapped the small child in a blanket and carefully walked her over to Chase. "She's beautiful. We're going to take her to the NICU and as soon as we get her assessed, we'll let you know how she is."

Chase reached out and touched the soft blonde hairs on the baby's head, before the flood gates of grief and exhaustion opened. "Go with them and make sure that she's ok. You make sure that they do everything to keep her alive." She instructed Jeff without question.

"I can't leave you alone." He didn't know what to do; make sure Chase was emotionally stable, or see that his daughter stayed physically stable. But the look in Chase's eyes told him that she had made his choice for him. He whispered I love you, before he left the room, bound for the NICU.

Chase had gone from upset to hysterical in a matter of minutes. She was so distraught that they sedated her. As she slept, she dreamed about her daughter, she dreamed about them as a family; that's when she knew that things would work out.

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Jeff's head laid near Chase's on her bed. It was too much watching them do all of the things to that tiny, helpless infant. He didn't know how much more he could take in one day. After everything, the fear, the elation, the heartache…he was exhausted.

He lifted his head, when the door opened. It took him a minute to realize that the doctor was standing there and instantly his heart raced. _God, please let the baby be ok._ "We have her stable. You can come see her if you like." The doctor's voice was low as to not wake Chase from her much needed rest. Jeff nodded and gently nudged Chase.

"Hey beautiful." He smiled when she opened her eyes. "You did real good." She looked at him with those big dark blue eyes and his heart filled with so much love for her. "You wanna go see our little girl?"

Chase was groggy, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She sat up with Jeff's help and cringed when she tried to get out of the bed. Her body hurt. She could only imagine that's what it felt like after a ladder match. As she sat in the wheel chair, her heart raced with anticipation to see her baby. Her dream had been so vivid; that baby was going to be fine.

Neither Jeff nor Chase talked on the way to NICU, but they both held the same hopes and fears. As they made their way over to the plastic container that their daughter was housed in, both broke into tears. It was amazing how much two people could cry over a child that only 3 hours old.

Baby Hardy was tiny; very tiny. She weighed 3 ¼ pounds and was only 13 inches long. Her skin was thin to the point where one could see her tiny blue veins through it. Her muscles didn't contract like most baby's whose limbs curl up to their body and their fists clinch automatically. Baby Hardy's limbs lay flat and her hands stayed out straight. Her eyes were closed and had tape over them. She wore a little pink hat, that was too big for her head and a diaper draped over her, because it was too large to fit her tiny waist. There was a tube down her throat that made her chest rise and fall; there was another tube in her stomach and an IV running in her foot. Countless telemetry pads were adorned on her tiny chest and she was sealed in a plastic tomb, preventing her parents from holding her.

Despite her appearance, they both instantly fell in love with her. Chase looked at her chart and tried to understand what was wrong. "Is she going to be ok?" She asked the nurse quietly, afraid to wake her sleeping daughter.

"It's really too soon to tell. She's not breathing very well on her own, so we're giving her oxygen. But we did do a CAT scan and so far there's no bleeding on her brain. Right now, she's stable; but preemies can be tricky. We're watching for RSV, which is a serious infection for a preemie. There's also a possibility of deafness or blindness; but we won't know that yet. She has jaundice, because her liver isn't all the way developed; but the lamp we have on her will help with that." The nurse adjusted the tubes and Chase felt a tear slip when her baby moved slightly at the hand touching her. "We need to make sure that she gains weight. She has to be at least 5 pounds to go home. Are you planning on nursing?"

Chase shrugged. She hadn't thought about it. "Can she eat?"

"No, we have a feeding tube in her. But breast milk is healthiest and right now she needs all the help she can get."

That was all she needed to hear. "What do I do?"

The nurse pointed to a corner in the NICU. "That's the nursing station. We have pumps set up and we'll store your milk. That's what we'll feed her through her tube. It'll help."

Jeff couldn't take his eyes off his daughter. "Can we hold her?"

The nurse shook her head. "No, not yet. Maybe in a few weeks. She's still too fragile. But you can touch her and make sure you talk to her. They like that." She showed them how to place their hands within the little circular doors so that they their baby could feel them. "I don't know how long she'll be here…that's really up to her. But if nothing else is wrong, she'll probably be here for another 6 weeks, or until she weighs enough to go home."

Jeff didn't want to hear anymore. He just wanted to touch his daughter. As the nurse walked away, they both opened the little portholes and reached and touched their baby for the first time. Jeff was mesmerized by her tiny hands, while Chase traced her hairline closest to her temple. Her skin was so soft and she frowned a little by the tickle on her cheek; revealing that she had inherited her mother's dimples.

Jeff let out a laugh when he saw those dimples that he loved so much. "She is so beautiful." His whispered. "You look just like your Mommy, angel." All of his dreams came true, just by touching her little fingers and her little toes. That was _his_ baby and there was nothing anyone could do to change that. "This little lady needs a name."

Chase smiled. She had been thinking about that for some time. "I'd like to name her Camille." She looked over at Jeff whose tears started faster. "Camille Alicia Hardy."

It took everything he had not to sob like a baby in that NICU, but somehow he found his voice. "I think my mom would like that." He pulled his hand away from his daughter and hugged Chase so tight. "Thank you." He smiled as he sniffled and turned back to his baby. "You hear that? You got a good name; you got your Grandma's name. But I think we'll call you Cami, so you can be your own person." As he ran his finger down her tiny foot, he smiled when she flinched. "You like that name Cami? You're Grandma would be so proud."

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Dave stood when Jeff walked out into the waiting room. He didn't know what to think. It had been so many hours since he had last seen Chase. In that time Gil, Jeff's father, had made it to the hospital along with Emily, Alli, Shannon and Shane. The only person missing was Britain and Dave didn't know how to tell her. He couldn't worry about that right now, he needed to know how his Princess was.

Jeff offered a sad smile. "It's a girl." He nodded as he tried to steady his voice. "She's beautiful. She's got a little bit of blonde hair, but I don't know what color her eyes are; she ain't opened 'em yet." He looked over at his father. "We named her Camille, after Mama; but we're gonna call her Cami. She likes it." When he saw his father's tears, Jeff broke down. "Oh God Daddy, she's so tiny. She don't even weigh 4 pounds yet and she can fit in one of my hands. They got all these damn tubes in her, and she can't breathe on her own and these lights are everywhere. We can't even hold her. I just want to hold her…I don't want her die without me holdin' her first."

Jeff's father wrapped his arms around his son and let him cry. He could care less about all the times he had told his boys that men don't cry. At that moment, Jeff was a scared parent, and Gil Hardy could understand. He gave his son a pep talk and patted him firmly on the back. Even Matt held Jeff. "Everything'll work out Jeffro. The hard part's over."

When Jeff got himself together, he turned to Chase's family. "Chase is doin' good. They had sedated her at first, because she went crazy when Cami didn't cry. But we both went up to see her and I think she's doin' ok now. She's still upstairs; she's trying pump breast milk for the feedin' tube…" He couldn't talk about it anymore. Instead he let his head fall forward and the silent tears started again.

For the second time in one day Dave hugged Jeff. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter and my granddaughter. I'm proud of you. You're a good man."

Those words meant more to Jeff than anything anybody could have ever said to him. For years, he had been trying to get Dave to forgive him for Kelly, the girl that lost her innocence and eventually her life from a mistake that he had made. Finally, Dave saw Jeff as something more than an addict, something more than the bastard that took his little girl; finally Dave Batista saw Jeff Hardy as a man.


	25. Family Matters

_Author's Note: I've a few more chapters left in this story...maybe about 5, but we'll see. I now realize that finishing by January 2 is a lofty goal which probably won't happen. Deal with it. Anyway, I'm toynig the idea of Prequel. For some reason lately, I've been thinking about how Dave and Britain got together. In Perfect, it started with them already together for few years. I think I mentioned how they met, but it only like a sentence or two. I think I want to do a whole story about it. I'm working on 3 other stories right now, so I don't see that happening for right away, but who knows. Creativity comes in spurts and if that's where the bug's taking me, I might just do it. _

_Happy New Year!_

Family Matters

Britain knocked softly on the door and peeked her head inside. She smiled to herself when she saw him on the bed asleep. He must've been dreaming about something good, because he held the faintest trace of a smirk on his lips. As she walked closer to the bed, she laughed at his big feet sticking up over the covers, covered in black dress socks. His graying brown hair was a little disheveled, but he was still clean shaven and the proud angular cut of his jaw was evident as he rolled his head over to the other side.

She didn't say anything or try to wake him; instead she crawled on the bed and laid her head on his chest. It was almost like he knew she was there because instinctively his arm came around her shoulder and held her close.

He turned his head only to see a curtain of black waves and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Was ist lose, liebchen?" _'What's the matter, sweetheart?'_ Johan could always tell when something was wrong with his baby girl.

"Nicht, Vati. Ich vermisse dich gerade." '_Nothing Daddy. I just miss you.' _She snuggled her head on her father's chest and wrapped her arm around his thin body.

Johan laughed. "You never could lie."

Britain looked at Johan and smiled. "I lied all the time when I was little; you always believed me."

He shook his head. Oh, if only she understood. "I knew every lie, but that face…" He held her chin in hands. "I could not be mad at that little face."

Britain returned her head to his chest and sighed. "Dave cheated, Vati. He slept with another woman. I don't know what to do."

Johan closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. His heart broke for his daughter, but he would not interfere. When he gave her away at her wedding that was the day that he vowed Dave would the man to take care of her. Though he would always be her father, he was no longer the most important man in her life. "Do you love him?"

"With all my heart."

"Do you want to stay married?"

"He broke his vows." Marriage wasn't supposed to be like this. She had always dreamed of having this fairytale marriage, filled with love and romance, babies and laughter. Never once did she think that her husband would have an affair.

"What about your vows?" He noticed how she looked at him. "David was wrong, no? But, you made vows too. You promised to love him in good and bad times, until you die. You have not died yet, no?" He offered a smile and flicked her nose.

One thing Britain always loved about her father was his optimism. He was the most laid back easy going person, she had ever met. He was definitely not the typical German. "How do you forgive, Vati? I don't know how to forgive."

It was true and he knew it. "As perfect as you are to me, you never were good at that. Even as a child, you would never let people forget when they hurt you. You always keep it with you. You can't, liebschen, it will kill you."

She could feel herself starting to cry, but she knew that her father would understand her tears. "I just feel so stupid and hurt. I feel like I did something wrong and that's why he did it. I'm embarrassed, I feel ugly…but you above everything else, I feel…"

"Like it was your fault." He finished her sentence for her. "You feel everything you worked for was in vain. You wonder how you can love someone who did not care how you feel. You wonder how you could have changed to make them happy. You wonder if every time they leave the house, they are not going to see their lover…"

Britain lifted her head and questioned Johan with her eyes. "How do you know that?" They had always been in tuned with each other, but he couldn't possibly understand.

Johan nodded. "I was not always so perfect." He laughed at his own joke. "When you a baby, I was busy to make a good home for my family. I did not listen when you mazer told me she was not happy. I work a lot, so I could give my family everything. Only I did not give your mazer the attention that she needed." It had been so many years since he had thought about that time. He didn't know if he should even be sharing with his daughter, but if would help, she needed to know. "She found other attention."

Britain was shocked. Her mother was a saint. "What did you do?"

"I was heartbroken, but you needed me here, so I forgave her." He would anything for his children, anything at all.

"That's different Vati. Dave and I don't have kids."

"You have three. Those children love you; they need you in their life. The littler ones need you to teach them how to be a good woman." He sat up on the bed and held her hands in his. "You need to ask, what are the good things about your marriage? Ask yourself is it worth being miserable with out him. Once you do that, you talk about where it went wrong and what you _both_ need to do to fix it."

"But how do I let it go?"

"You tell your heart that he made a mistake. You listen to all of _your_ mistakes, and then you know you are not perfect; that is when can forgive. It is not easy, but it is necessary. If you go back still hurting about it, your marriage will fail. But, if you concentrate on how to make it better, it will only get better."

Britain smiled at her father's gentle words. "Du bildest immer mich fühlen besser. Ich liebe dich, Vati." _You always make me feel better. I love you, Daddy._

"Ich liebe dich auch, Britannien" _I love you too, Britain._

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X was a nervous wreck. Why she had agreed to letting John be there when she broke the news to Ave, was still a mystery. It could have had something to do with the compromising position he had her in when he asked. Namely, her legs pressed up on his shoulders and him staring into her eyes. She would have promised him she'd walk around the moon with no helmet on at that moment. Now it was too late. Ave was on her way over and John was not leaving.

"Ma, you need to calm down. She's a kid, she'll handle it." He sat on the couch watching basketball, as X paced back and forth behind him. "Come here." He reached around the back of the couch and pulled her over it. She landed awkwardly on his lap, but he wrapped his arms around her. "She's gonna love you, she already does. We all know she already loves me, but I mean who can blame her?"

"Shut up." She slapped in the chest and smirked. "What if she cries or thinks that I want to take her away from her grandparents? I don't want her to come with me if she doesn't want to."

"Look, Florida ain't in another country. You travel enough that she'll see them all the time." He looked into her eyes and made a sacrifice. "If she don't wanna come, I'll understand if you don't wanna move in with me."

X was so torn. She loved John; she wanted to be with him. But she had a responsibility in California. Her daughter, her flesh and blood lived there, she couldn't just go to the other side of the country and leave her little girl behind. No matter how distant she was to her, she still lived 5 minutes from her. It was still close enough to check in on her and make sure everything in her life was fine.

John read her expression. "No pressure."

"Thank you." She kissed him and smiled. John Cena wasn't Miklo Velka; he was nothing like Miklo. But she still loved him. It might not have been the same all consuming love that she shared with Miklo, but it was real and it was special in its own right. John could push her buttons and make her laugh all in the same sentence. He could set her body on fire and make her skin crawl just by his tone of voice. Making a life with him was _not _going to be easy, but it was a chance that she wanted to take. If nothing else, their time together would always be interesting.

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"Ma, can I ask you something?" Britain sat on chair on the patio and watched her mother as she potted plants. "What do you think really happened when I was in the hospital?"

Mia turned around and looked at her daughter. Britain was the spitting image of her. Although Britain had gotten her height, eyes and complexion from her husband, that girl had her looks and her spirit. "I think that you got hurt by an asshole who told you he loved you." She knew what Britain wanted, but she wasn't going to make her relive it.

"I had an abortion and that's what messed me up."

Mia sat down the watering can and slowly peeled off her gloves. "I thought so and I also thought that he beat you into it." She walked over to her eldest child and sat down in front of her. "I know you mija; you wouldn't do that unless you were pushed. Just like I knew that when you could you would tell me."

"Why'd you cheat on Vati?" Britain asked her mother seriously but made sure not to sound like she was accusing her. "I know you love him, you've always loved him. Why'd you do it?"

Mia thought back and honestly couldn't give a reason to justify her actions. "I don't know. I was lonely, I was new mother and I was tired of being in my marriage by myself. I felt like I couldn't talk to him anymore. I didn't set out to cheat on him, I just wanted someone to listen to and understand me. He worked so much we hardly saw him and _you_ were such a handful. When your Vati wasn't around, you cried all the time." She reached over and pushed Britain's hair behind her ear. "It's like I had all these anxieties and all this anger built up inside me and one day I got the chance to let it out. It was the worst mistake I have ever made. I almost lost my family because of it. It wasn't until afterward that I realized how much you and Vati meant to me."

Britain nodded in understanding. "Was it hard to get back what you had?"

"Yeah, it was. But it was worth it. I swear afterward, when we started to try to work it out, our marriage was so much stronger. I have never loved anyone the way I love that lazy man upstairs. He's the other half of mi corazon. He's my life and I almost threw him away for a man that I don't even remember his name."

"Did you ever want to cheat again?"

Mia shook her head admittedly. "Nothing is worth losing my family over. I bet you Dave feels the same way. It's not going to be pretty, but if it's worth saving, save it. I have never seen you happier than you are with him. I know how hard it is for you to trust and I know what kind of punks you've dated before. But honey, he's not them. He didn't mean to hurt you; he didn't go out with the intention of causing you pain. Sometimes shit happens and you don't realize it until it's too late." She needed to make sure that Britain understood what it was like from her perspective. "I'm not saying that what he did wasn't wrong, because it was; it was fucked up. All I'm saying is if you love him, if you _really_ love him, don't let anybody take that love away from you. That punta isn't worth your tears, or your time. He loves _you_, not her and I know him well enough to know that he won't do something like this again."

Britain hugged her mother and tried to make sense of it all. There was so much she needed to learn about forgiveness, about love, about trust. She knew that Dave wasn't like the others, but he still had the power to hurt her. But then again, wasn't love a gamble? She hurt him by lying to him, when she promised to share her life with him. Love doesn't involve secrets; it doesn't involve protecting your loved one from yourself. She knew what she needed to do, but she didn't know how to do it. She didn't even know if he'd still want her back. He was so angry the last time they spoke. He slammed the door after he yelled at her; he basically told her he was giving up. He hadn't called her once in the two weeks she was at her parent's house. Did he still want to try?

"Brit, Dave's on the phone." Her younger brother, Croix, called from the kitchen. Britain looked over at her mother who raised her brows and smiled. "Told ya." She said before going back to her plants.

Britain swallowed hard and grabbed the phone, but not before punching her punk brother in the arm. "You wait, when I get off this phone, I'm kicking your ass." She laughed and then put the phone to her ear. "Hi." Her voice was full of hope when she spoke to him.

Dave hardly paid attention to that at the time. "Chase had the baby and it's pretty serious. She wants to know if you can come home so you can see her." He tried to choke back his tears as he talked to his estranged wife.

"What! It's too soon." Her brain started to race. She needed a plane ticket; she needed to pack her clothes. "How? When?"

There were so many questions and he didn't have the answers to. His brain still wasn't functioning. "Uh, she was born last night, but there's a lot wrong. Um, she crashed this morning but uh, they brought her back. Chase and Jeff want her to met her family in case…"

"I'm leaving now. I'll be home soon."

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John practically had to sit on his hands in order not to interfere. He watched from one chair as Christina sat Ave down and leaned down to be eyelevel with the young girl. Looking at them together, John was amazed. She may have looked like Miklo, but she acted just like Christina. She had this tough girl image, the same dirty blonde hair, she had big eyes, but they were blue like her father's not brown like her mother's. She licked her lips the same way that X did and she knitted her brows and placed her little hand on her hip when she was serious. John almost laughed out loud. It was like watching Christina at age 12. She was the spitting image of her mother.

"Mija, I need to talk to you woman to woman." X studied her daughter's eyes and swore she could see Miklo's soul in them.

Ave looked at X and then at John. "You're gonna marry him, aren't you?" She turned to John. "I love you John, but I think that being with Tía is for the best. You're too old for me, she'll make ya happy."

The laughter that came from John was uncontrollable. Here this little girl was giving him permission to marry her mother; it wasn't even something he had thought about. "Thanks, but that ain't what she wanted to tell you."

Ave looked back at X confused. "Oh, sorry. But I still think it's a good idea."

X smiled and shook her head. "Ave Maria Velka, what am I going to do with you?" She looked over at John and huffed when he shook his head. She placed her hand on the little girl's leg and summoned up her courage. "Do you know about your Daddy?"

Ave nodded. "I know that he was really cute. Mami has pictures of him at our house. I know he died before I was born; his name was Miklo."

X could feel her tears starting, but she wasn't going to cry…X didn't cry. "What else do you know?"

Ave shrugged, she really wasn't down for all the secrecy; she was a cut to the chase kind of girl. "I know that Mami y Papi are really mi abuelos. But they take care of me, so I call them Mami y Papi."

She knew more than Christina gave her credit for. She had no idea that she knew that Dolores, Miklo's mother, wasn't her biological mother. She didn't know how to tell Ave the rest of the story, but she was going to try. "Mija, I knew your Daddy. I loved him a lot. It broke my heart when he died and I did a lot of things wrong after that." She never lost eye contact because she wanted Ave to understand every word. "The worst thing I did was give you up. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Ave raised her brow and studied X's face. "You're my daughter, Ave. Miklo and I are your parents."

X braced herself for a temper tantrum of monumental proportions, but all she got from Ave was a smile. "I know." She said it like it was common knowledge throughout the world.

"What?" X and John both said in unison. All this time this secret had been eating her up and this child knew it all along. What kind of shit was that?

"I've known for a while now…at least since I was like 8." She had a giggle in her voice when she spoke. She reached out and placed her hand on X's shoulder. "You treat me like I'm a little kid or something. It really wasn't that hard."

"How?"

"I see you more than I see Tía Britain or Tío Carly. Not that I mind or anything, but I don't visit them every month or spend holidays with them. Besides, I found the pictures of you and Miklo in your closet. You two looked really cute together. There was this one picture when you were pregnant and he had his hand on your stomach. I never seen you with a baby, so I figured you didn't have one. But when I found that same picture at Mami's house, I figured it out."

"Wow. Do you know how long I wanted to tell you that?" This little girl was truly amazing. She was so smart and reminded X so much of herself that she had to laugh.

"Really? I always thought you didn't want me." She wasn't going to make X suffer over this. She had always gone with the punches, this was no different. "I mean, you didn't want me to live with you or anything." He pleasant disposition never changed throughout this conversation. It almosted seemed like Ave didn't understand why X was upset about it all. She acted like this was something that happened everyday.

X's heart broke. She never wanted Ave to think that she wasn't wanted. "At first it was too hard, because I missed your Daddy too much. But then, I saw how great you were doing with your Mami y Papi and I couldn't take you back. I always wanted you. Don't ever think I didn't want you. I still want you." She saw John walk over to them out of the corner of her eye and watched as he sat on the coffee table in front of Ave. "John and I are going to live together, in Florida and I would really like it if you'd come."

Ave's face lit up. "Really? You like want me to live you? Really? And I'd live with John too? Oh my God, I will be so cool. I'm gonna live in John Cena's house. Do you have a pool?"

John laughed and nodded. "I gotta pool. But you understand that you'd have to leave your grandparents and your friends."

"So. I'll make new friends, and Mami…I mean Abuela will understand." She stood up and hugged X. "I love you, Mami. I always love you."

X couldn't contain herself. She held on that little girl for all she was worth. She had always hoped to hear her daughter call her Mami and mean it. She looked at John with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face. "I love you too, mija. I love you so much."

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Britain walked into the waiting room of the hospital and looked at everyone sitting there. They all had the same expression on their face. They all looked like their world was coming to an end. Dave saw her and smiled. She didn't even know what to say to him. But when she looked to his left, she noticed Maddy sitting there distraught. Although her first instinct was to go to Dave, she knew that Maddy needed her more. She walked over to her step-daughter and hugged her. "How's it going Madison Avenue?"

"I didn't mean it, Britain. Cami's sick because of me. I didn't mean to push Alli so hard." She had been blaming herself for everything since it happened. "What's wrong with me? Why am I like this?"

Britain grabbed her hand and Alli's as well and took them into the hallway. "Now you two listen to me. What happened was an accident, but that doesn't excuse your behavior. I'm sick of all the fighting. It has to stop, now." She turned to Alli and looked her in the eye. "Maddy's only here for a few more months before she goes away to college. You have got to stop making fun of her. She's made some bad choices with boys, but that does not make her stupid or a slut. It makes her human because she's made mistakes." She looked over at Maddy and gave her the same look. "And you have got to stop teasing your sister about her sexuality. If she happens to like girls, then you respect that. You owe that much. You girls are all each other have, so you better learn to respect each other. I'm not having this conversation with either of you again. You understand?"

Both girls looked at the floor, but Alli looked back up. "I don't like girls." She whispered. She noticed how Britain raised her brow at her and then she lowered her eyes that filled with tears. "I'm sorry. Don't tell Dad."

Britain hugged the youngest Batista. "It's who you are, sweetheart. Don't you ever be ashamed of who you are. You're still young, you're just learning about yourself. If you don't accept who you are, no one will."

Dave watched silently as Britain did what she did best. She got people to listen. He didn't even ask about Alli, Lord knows he couldn't deal with that now. He still hadn't really dealt with the Maddy thing. Maybe if he had sons things would be different, but somehow he doubted it.

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Chase sat up on her bed and smiled when Britain came in the room. After much protest, she sent Jeff to her mother's house for some much needed rest and truth be told, she was lonely in that room all alone.

Britain walked in the room with a huge smile and engulfed Chase in a warm hug. "Congratulations. I hear she's beautiful."

Chase nodded in agreement. "Jeff keeps saying how much she looks like me. She's so little, I'm afraid to touch her. But even with all that stuff hooked up to her, I think she's perfect."

And she should; all babies, no matter what, are perfect. "She is honey. She's gonna be so spoiled; just you wait. You think your dad's overprotective? I got the feeling that you ain't seen nothing yet. Jeff's gonna walk around town with a shotgun to keep the boys away."

The first real smile since all of this started danced on Chase's face. "We're getting married. I don't know when yet, but once everything with Cami's better, we'll work on it."

"That is a beautiful name. She must be something to have such a pretty name." Britain sat down on the bed with Chase and held her hand. "And I bet she'll be beautiful in the wedding."

"Would you like to see her? I mean, she looks really sick, but I want her to meet her family." Chase's voice was small and scared, but she kept a brave face. As the women approached the NICU, Chase turned to Britain. "I hate this place."

Britain grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "But they're going to help her get better." She nodded and then walked with Chase into the room. The scene was enough to make her want to cry. The NICU was so quiet, with only the humming of machines and beeps from monitors. It was dark in that room too; accept for the lights over the individual bassinettes. They walked through a row of babies, until they ended in front of big pink sign that said, _Daddy's Little Girl_. "Jeff was here." Britain said as she smiled. She peeked her head down and smiled at the baby. "Chase, you are so blessed. Don't ever forget that." Her heart broke for Chase and for herself, because she didn't even have a baby that was sick. But she still was overjoyed that there was new addition to their family.

Chase opened the porthole and stuck her hand inside. "Cami, this is your other Grandma, Britain." She whispered to the baby with a gentle voice.

"No Cami…I'm your Abuelita. Grandma is for old people, like your Grandma Emily." She couldn't help but to laugh when Chase punched her in the arm. "You're a special little girl aren't you? What's that?" She leaned her head closer to the basinet. "I know you're gonna be fine. Everyone's all worried for nothing. They're just all being silly aren't they?" She turned to Chase and hugged her. "She told, she's gonna be fine."

Chase nodded and stroked her daughter's hand. "I know she is."


	26. Keeping Up Appearances

_Author's Note: So I took a little break from this story, but I'm back...it's only been like 2 days, but when you get use to writing it everyday, sometimes it helps to walk away and come back. This chapter it didn't turn out like I wanted it to. But the things I wanted to do are in the next chapter. Anyway...enjoy!_

_Oh and I've been getting alerts. There a week late, but they're coming, slowly but surely. Hopefully now you guys are too! _

Keeping Up Appearances

The first few weeks back home were tense to say the least. Britain and Dave were hardly at home at the same time. They pretty much had taken the same schedule that Chase and Jeff had; when one was at the hospital, the other would be at home catching a few needed hours of sleep. When they ended up at the hospital together they appeared to be united in their concern for Cami. NO one really noticed that they didn't talk to each other, no one really noticed that they were hardly in the same room with each other. Dave and Britain would manage to sneak glances when the other wasn't looking, but that's all their relationship was reduced to, a few looks here and there and a lot left unsaid.

When Britain first went back to Florida, she had every intention of working things out. But the longer she was home the more fucked up things kept getting. It started when she got home that first night and checked the answering machine; there were 5 messages from Rebecca on it. The messages were all the same, all along the lines of _your wife's gone, there's nothing stopping us from being together…yada, yada, yada. _After listening to the second message, Britain had enough. It also didn't help that when the phone would ring and she would answer it, the caller would hang up. But let Dave answer the fucking phone and all she could hear was his low voice, followed by the phone slamming down. She knew it was that bitch, calling _her_ fucking house, looking for _her _fucking husband; but what could she do? He had made his bed and now he had to lie in it; even if that skank _was_ fucking crazy.

It was one of those rare occasions when they both were home at the same time and neither could think of anything to say to the other. Britain was sitting in the living room, flipping through the channels, listening to that damn phone ring, yet again. She didn't even bother to answer it, neither did Dave. They both knew who it was.

As he walked in the living room he noticed how she sat there, her legs were crossed Indian style and she had her eyes glued to that screen as if her life depended on the aluminum pots the infomercial was selling. He wanted to talk to her, but he had told her the ball was in her court. He sucked in a breath and stopped by the couch. He too looked at the screen; it was easier than looking at her. "How are your parents?"

Britain felt herself snap. She turned her head and looked him up and down. "How's Rebecca?" As soon as she said it, she wanted to kick herself. That is _not_ what she planned on saying.

Dave looked like he had been slapped and slowly he turned and walked up the stairs. Britain shook her head, cursing herself for being a bitch. Without saying anything else, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

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Jeff sat at Cami's basinet, reading her one of his favorite stories as a child, The Crystal Flask. He periodically looked up just to make sure that her heart monitor still showed a constant beat. He didn't know how much more he could take. Weeks of not knowing if his daughter would still be alive if he took a nap; weeks of sitting in a dark NICU of a hospital, hundreds of miles away from his home; weeks of having no alone time with Chase to just talk about anything other than what they were facing; it was enough to make him want to get high. He fought with himself constantly, he just needed something to take the edge off. Maybe if he got a little taste of something, he could deal with the rest. He could feel his mouth water and his palms sweat, his leg started to bob up and down involuntarily as he waged a silent battle within himself.

Jeff ran his thumb over the keypad on his cell phone. All he had to do was make one call and it would be so easy. He wouldn't do enough to get hooked again, but just enough to calm his nerves. He justified that after everything, he owed it himself to just escape for a few hours. He felt his eyes tear as he started to type the text message. He knew that he would let Chase down. But really, he couldn't talk to her about what he was facing, because she had enough to deal with. He couldn't talk to anyone; no one would understand.

He stood up and smiled at his daughter through teary eyes. "I'm sorry, angel." He hit the send button and cringed. He hated himself, he hated that he was like that. Maybe Chase and Dave had been right all along. He had no business being with someone like Chase and he damn sure didn't have any business being a father. What kind of father thinks about getting high, when his baby is laying in a hospital fighting for her life?

Jeff put his hands in his hair and leaned his forehead down on the top of the basinet. And then suddenly, his tears came out in floods. He lifted his head and cocked it to the side to make sure that he saw what he did. He leaned in and opened the porthole to the only home his daughter had even known. He let a breathy laugh escape his mouth as he reached his hand and touched hers. "Good morning, Cami." Looking back at him were the most beautiful green eyes he had ever had the privilege of looking at. Those little eyes on that little girl were Jeff's eyes. They were the eyes that he had when he was still innocent. They were the eyes of a child that didn't know about the demons of drug addiction. They were the eyes of a child, who just needed her Daddy to take care of her. The guilt swept through Jeff's body as he started to weep. "I'm so sorry, Cami. I wanna be a good Daddy, but I don't know how." He touched her cheek and saw those dimples. "I ain't strong enough to be what you need."

He felt a hand touch his shoulder and he slowly turned around. He couldn't hide the shame in his face as he clung on to Britain like she would disappear. "I can't do this no more." He was so desperate. He knew what he needed and what he wanted weren't the same thing. But looking into his daughter's eyes for the first time, told him what he _had_ to do. He felt like a crazy person, there were all these voices in his head telling him that it was ok; he could just give in this one time and never go back to that life again. But Jeff knew himself; one time would not be enough. He pulled away from Britain and wiped his eyes. "Help me." He pleaded with her, for his daughter, for his life. He just needed someone to save him.

"Let me buy you the biggest cup of the nastiest hospital coffee that got." She said with a smile. She had no idea what was wrong with Jeff, but by the looks of things, right now, he needed a friend more than anything.

Jeff turned back to Cami and shook his head. "I can't leave her. What if somethin' happens?"

"We're only going downstairs; we'll be back in 10 minutes. I'm sure the nurses can take care of her for 10 minutes." She rubbed her hand across his back and nodded. "Besides, you don't want her to see you like this right now. She needs her Daddy to be strong for her. Come on, you can cry when she's not looking."

Jeff kissed his hand and stuck it in the incubator on Cami's head. Her eyes were closed again. Maybe he had imagined her eyes to begin with. Maybe his brain was playing tricks on him. He closed the little door and told his daughter he would be back in a minute. Slowly, Jeff walked out of the NICU turning around every couple of feet to look back at the basinet. It had to get better.

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Dave stood over Cami and watched as she slept. It was rarely that he walked into the NICU without seeing Jeff or Chase there. He knew that Chase was at her mom's; she had been running herself ragged. But Jeff was supposed to be there. _How could he leave you all by yourself?_

He smiled as he looked at the baby. She reminded him so much of Chase when she was little. "I messed up Pebbles." He had nicknames for his other girls; he thought Pebbles was suitable because she was so small, like a little pebble compared to him. "I know I shouldn't be dumping this on you, but I just need somebody to listen, ok?" He pulled up the chair and stuck his large hand inside and rubbed her legs. "See, we had this great family for you to come in to. Only I didn't really like your Daddy that much. I did like him, but I didn't want to like him. Anyway, my wife, who's your step-grandma…I know that sounds stupid, huh." He found himself chuckling at that thought of Britain being a grandmother when she wasn't even a mother yet. "Well, I love her a lot, but I did something really stupid. I know, I know, Granddad's aren't supposed to be stupid. We're supposed to know everything, but I don't. I don't know how to stop getting angry and doing stupid things. And just like always, I messed up and now I don't think I can get her back on my own. So you know what? _You_ gotta get better, so you can tell me how to win her back. No one could resist that little face." Dave adjusted the blanket on Cami and smiled. "I really miss her and I really want her to be around so you can get to know her. She's so smart and beautiful, just like your Mommy. And she can teach you all kinds of things, like how to dance; because your parents can't dance."

He sat silently watching Cami's chest rise and fall. All the hopes that he had for a family with Britain were within his reach, but he felt like his arms were tied behind his back. He had justified that he had done all he could. He couldn't apologize anymore, he couldn't change the past. All he could do was wait to see if Britain wanted to work things out. He had imagined their reunion to be spectacular, but it wasn't; it was cold and sarcastic. He had always known how stubborn she was, and at one point in time he knew he could wear her down. Somehow though, he knew this time his charm wouldn't work.

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"I don't know how much more I can take. I was so sure that once she was born, I could handle it. I keep thinking', what if Chase still didn't want her? What if it was just me and Cami, could I handle it?" Jeff shook his head and poured more sugar into his coffee. He lifted his eyes and settled on the grey orbs of Britain. "I just don't think I can do this."

She shook her head. "It's normal to grieve. You were hoping for this perfectly healthy, happy baby. But instead you got a beautiful baby girl that has special needs. I don't know if it'll get better, but you getting shit-faced isn't going to help." She reached across the table and touched his hand. "If you start getting high and Cami gets better, you're going to miss all of the wonderful firsts in her life and you will never forgive yourself. If you start getting high and she doesn't get better, you will miss saying goodbye to your daughter with a clear head and you will never forgive yourself."

"I don't need to get high all the time. But I can taste it right now. I just need somethin', just until this all gets better."

"But what if it doesn't? What if she's in the hospital for the rest of her life? What if she comes home and will always have special needs? Is it worth killing yourself over because you're waiting for it get better? Think about how much time you're going to miss with her while your rehab." Britain tried to get Jeff to understand, but _she_ understood what he was going through. Although she had never been in that situation, she knew how it was to have your head and your heart tell you two different things. She knew all about second guessing herself. "You need to find a meeting. It's a hospital for God's sake; they _have_ to have a meeting here."

Jeff could feel the shame pouring out of him as he peered into his coffee cup. "I can't do that. Chase needs me to be here. She needs me to be strong. I can't have her worryin' about me." So many responsibilities rested on his shoulders. He couldn't remember why he thought fatherhood was going to be so easy. "I just thought it would be so different. I thought once she was here, I wouldn't feel like this no more. I thought she would stop it."

"That's a lot of responsibility to put on a baby. She wasn't put here to make your life better; she was put here so you could make _hers _better. And as far as Chase goes, I think she would rather worry about you being in a meeting, then worry about you getting high and dying."

Jeff felt his cell phone buzzing in his pocket. When he looked at the number calling his back he slid the phone over to Britain. "I called this guy I know." He lowered his eyes. "If I answer that, I know what I'm gonna do. I don't wanna be like this no more." His face pleaded with hers as the tears started to fall. "I wanna watch my baby girl grow up. I wanna marry the love of my life. I wanna be Jeff, the husband and father; not Jeff the addict. I just want it to stop."

"It will never stop, but it _will_ get better. You're always gonna have some shitty days, but those are the days that you cling to your family and lean on them for support." She leaned in closer to him and whispered. "You're not alone. You don't always have to be so strong."

When the phone buzzed again, Britain answered it. "Jeff's phone…yeah it was mistake. No, but you could lose this number; he won't be needing you, ever." She closed the phone and handed it back to Jeff. "That was the first step…now you know what you need to do."

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Chase found her father sitting with Cami. She silently pulled up a chair and rested her head on his shoulder. As she watched her daughter sleep, she smiled when his arm came around her. "Rough day?"

Dave nodded. "No rougher than yours."

Chase could always tell when something bothered Dave. She knew this thing with Britain was killing him, but he wouldn't admit to it. "Still not talking, huh?"

He never took his eyes off of Cami, but he shook his head. "I have no idea what to do."

"Daddy, I'm going to give you some daughterly advice." She turned her body to face him and took both of his hands in hers. "You love Britain and she loves you, you need to talk. I don't mean scream or yell or accuse each other about where you went wrong. You both need some time away where it's just the two of you and you can work on getting back what you had." She had been in a similar situation with Jeff a few months before. They both were still in love with each other, but they couldn't see eye to eye either. Had it not been for them having that time alone in Cameron, they may have never gotten to where there were now. "Do you really think she would be this upset if she didn't love you?"

Dave looked at his oldest daughter and smiled. This girl had always been wiser than her years. "I keep thinking about what I did and I honestly can't tell you why I did it. I knew it was wrong when I was there, I knew that I was risking losing everything…but I still did it. Those few minutes of pleasure was not worth this much pain now. Maybe your mom was right…I'm just not cut out for marriage."

"Mom's bitter. She still has a thing for you and she hates Britain. I know you love her, Daddy. I see it in your eyes, I hear it every time you say her name. If you have to whisk her away to some remote island and hold her captive until she forgives you, that's what you need to do."

Dave laughed out loud. "You know this is _Britain_ we're talking about? She is the most stubborn woman I have ever met in my life."

"And that's why you love her. She doesn't put up with your crap, she keeps you grounded. Just try listening to her without getting angry. You don't like to hear when you were wrong. Maybe once you understand what it feels like for her, you guys can let it go…" She looked over at the basinet for the briefest moment. She felt herself stand and suddenly she couldn't talk anymore.

Dave looked at Chase's expression and felt his heart race. "What?"

A huge smile crossed her lips. "Oh my God. She opened her eyes. Look…she has green eyes, just like Jeff's." Quickly, Chase opened the door and reached in and smiled at her baby. "Hey you little green eyed monster. You're going to be lazy like your Daddy, huh? It only took you four weeks to open your eyes." She turned to Dave who was standing beside her, smiling. "This means she's getting better, right? My baby's getting better."

There were no more words. Suddenly the problem with Dave and Britain played second to the fact that her baby was awake. She even noticed that when she touched Cami's hand her tiny fist curled around her finger. Cami's legs moved, drawing themselves up to her body like full term baby's do. It's not like Cami took her first step or anything that would be considered a milestone in a baby's life, but just to see her daughter with her eyes open felt like her first tooth, first step and first haircut all rolled into one. Chase took it as a sign of things to come. First Cami was getting stronger and next Dave and Britain would work things out.

"See Daddy, miracles really do happen. You and Britain will be fine; you just have to believe."

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What Chase had said made sense, they just needed time alone to deal with this. Since his affair he had to work, she had to work, they had a family vacation and then Cami was born. They hadn't had time away together to really work on their problems. He knew it was a shot in the dark, but it was a chance that he was going to take.

Dave knocked on _his _bedroom door, before opening it. He had kind of hoped he would catch Britain changing. He knew it perverse, but he hadn't seen her in awhile and he missed her; a lot. But to no avail, when he opened the door, she was sitting on the bed with the remote in hand, watching their wedding video. By the look on her face, he could tell that she had been crying, but he knew she wouldn't let him see her tears.

Britain looked at him and then moved her eyes back to the screen. How could have been so happy eight months ago and now they couldn't even be in the same room together. She looked at herself on the screen, she was so in love and so was he. She watched as they danced and for him not dance, he looked so graceful twirling her around in her beautiful wedding gown. They were so happy, whispering to each other, smiling at their friends. They were supposed to be living happily ever after. If he would have come in the room a few minutes later, he would have caught her watching their honeymoon video. _That_ video showed just how happily ever after they were meant to be. Those countless days in Greece, that villa they stayed in, the gentle breezes that blew through the window. Those nights in the Philippines on the beach, the tropical paradise that they shared…_that_ video told how desperately in love with each other they were.

"I know with everything that's going on…" He tried to find the words, but it's hard to talk to someone when they won't even look at you. "The Hall of Fame ceremony is coming up and…did you want …"

She cut her eyes at him. "Do you want me to go?" She asked annoyed. It had already been on her calendar for months.

Dave nodded and looked at the floor. "I would like if you would go. I know with Cami and all it's not a good time, but I can't get out of it and I think we could really use the time away."

Britain shrugged and looked back at the screen. "It's all about keeping up appearances, right?."

Dave leaned his weigh on one leg as he cringed at the bitter person that Britain had become. "Is this what's gonna be like? Every time I say something to you are you going to have smart ass comment?"

"Does it matter? You want me to go? I'll go. As long as everybody still thinks we're a happy couple, who really gives a shit right? " She turned off the TV and laid back on the bed. "Do you need anything else?" She couldn't let it go; she _had_ to push his buttons. "Cause if not, I'd really like to go to sleep."

Before he could comment, the phone rang. He looked over at Britain who was laughing sarcastically. "You better get that. Your _girlfriend_ wants to talk to you."

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Jeff sat across from Chase and watched as she maneuvered the breast pump, lining the suction cups to both breasts, so that she could pump milk for their daughter. It was mesmerizing to him. He had always loved her breasts, but to know that they now contained the only food that his baby needed to get stronger made him fall in love with her all over again. "Does that hurt?" He listened to horrible suction noise that the pump made. He watched as the force of the air pulled her nipple in such a way that tiny droplets of milk would run into the little bottles attached.

"It's not the most pleasant thing, but it doesn't hurt. I think it would hurt a lot worse if I was actually nursing her. But hopefully I'll know what like really soon." She tried not to sound sad, because either way Cami would be getting the nutrition she needed even if she was missing out on that bond of nursing her child. She was still elated because the doctor said that her muscles moving and her opening her eyes was great progress. She had even gained a little weight. Cami was now 4 ¼ pounds, if she kept it up, she could go home soon. And if that meant that Chase had to pump her milk for the next few months, and Cami was fed through a tube still, as long as she got to come home it was worth it.

"What's it taste like?" Jeff's curiosity was at an all time high. If he had his sketch pad, he would have so many drawings of this very moment. This was nature at its finest.

Chase looked at him and scrunched her face. "I don't know. I'm not tasting it."

He laughed. "Why not? Don't you wanna know what it tastes like? What if it's nasty and we're giving to her. Shouldn't we at least try it?"

Chase removed one pump from her breast unscrewed the bottle. She held it out for Jeff. "You taste it. I don't like milk." Hell, if it tasted like rat poison, _he _should be the one testing it, not her.

He studied the bottle carefully before reaching out to accept it. He sniffed it. It smelled like milk. He looked around to make sure no one was watching him and slowly put the bottle to his lips. He held it in his mouth for a moment, before swallowing, and then he nodded his head and handed the bottle back to her. "It's sweet. It tastes like warm, sweet, milk." The tone of voice proved that it wasn't on his favorites list. That was something that he would _not_ be using in his cereal, ever.

She couldn't help but to laugh. He actually drank breast milk. "Well do you feel better knowing that I'm not poisoning her?" She looked at his face and noticed the far away look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

He ran his hand over his face. "This. This is wrong. I just want her outta here. I know we gotta take it one day at a time, but I'm ready for it to be over." He rested his hands against his forehead as his elbows leaned on his thighs. He looked up at Chase and sighed. "I went to a meetin' today. It just got to be too much and I actually sent a text to Derek."

Chase hooked the pump back up and sat there quiet. She was disappointed. But she wouldn't tell him that. This is what she was afraid of. This is why she didn't want to have a baby with him. She needed him to be strong and she knew that sometimes things were too much for him.

"I talked to Britain and she convinced me to find a meetin'. They got 'em right here in the hospital. There's one almost everyday but at different times."

"Do you feel better?"

He nodded. "A little. But I'd feel better if she could come home."

"She will, we just have to be patient. But I meant do you feel better about calling Derek?" She couldn't meet his eyes. She didn't want him to see how disappointed she really was, although it was pretty noticeable in her voice.

"I just wanna be everything to both of you. I wanna be strong and I wanna make you feel safe. I want Cami to know that I'm here. But then I feel like, who's there to be strong for me? I feel like I'm supposed to a super hero, but I ain't." He played with his hair as he spoke, watching how Chase carefully sat down the pump and fastened her bra before pulling her shirt back down.

She made her way over to Jeff and perched herself on his lap. She kissed him on the top of his head. "I never wanted you to be a superhero. I just _need_ you to be here with me. We don't need you to be strong for us; we're all strong for each other." She closed her eyes when his arms came around her and she held on to him for dear life. "I love you and I'm proud of you." She whispered before kissing him softly.

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Britain felt like shit. She couldn't keep her tongue from spitting venom whenever Dave was concerned. She didn't want to let this keep them from trying to rebuild what they had, but she couldn't get rid of the anger. She had successfully moved out of the grieving stage of their relationship and landed head first into anger. It was the only emotion she felt toward him. She still loved him to the point that it hurt, but she couldn't let the anger go.

How dare he cheat on her? She was Britain Weis…she was the woman that _he_ had pursued in the beginning; _he _was the one that wanted more than a one-night stand with her, _he _was the one that wanted her to meet his kids, _he _was the one that asked her to move in with him and _he_ was the one that proposed. Why the fuck would he ask for all of those things if he was going to end up fucking another woman. No matter how she tried, she couldn't make sense of it. So he said it was a mistake, a mistake is picking up whole milk when you meant to grab 2; there is no accidental way that you fuck another person. Rebecca didn't slip and fall on his dick, it wasn't a mistake, and it wasn't an accident. It may not have been planned, but it happened.

What Britain couldn't forgive was the fact that she had done the same thing years ago. But that weekend with Jericho wasn't a mistake, it was wrong, but it's what they both wanted at the time. You don't mistakenly have sex with someone, not when you're married to someone else. He didn't mistake Rebecca for her; he wasn't drunk and thought that he was with his wife. She had justified that she had hurt him with the information on her aborted baby's paternity and he purposely wanted to hurt her back. Still, no matter how angry she was, she still knew that she wanted to try. She wanted him to know that she wanted to try. But how could she do that, when every time she talked to him, she would make a smart ass remark and try to start an argument? .

Britain made her way down the hall and stopped in front of Alli's room. The door was cracked and as she raised her hand to knock, she heard his voice. "She has everything to say to everybody else but me; she can be all understanding when anybody else fucks up, but let it be me… I don't know why the fuck I even bother anymore. If she doesn't want to be here, she can step the fuck off. I'm sick of this shit." Britain watched as Dave talked on the telephone, pacing the room. "I mean really, you know how many women are throwing themselves as us. Does she really think that I _have_ to put up with this shit? I could take my pick; this bullshit."

She felt tears sting her eyes as she listened to just how insignificant their marriage was to him. If she thought about apologizing before, fuck that now. All that shit he was popping about how much he loved her and wanting them to work it out, were just more of his lies. He didn't love her…if he did he wouldn't be talking about how easily she could be replaced. Well fuck him; _he_ could be replaced just as easily. Britain turned on her heel and walked quickly back to their bedroom, trying like hell to find something to suffocate him in his sleep with. She laid on the bed and cried wondering if she was to blame. Yeah, Dave messed things up when he slept with Rebecca, but _she_ was ruining their marriage now. This weekend away was either going to find them madly in love once again or it was going to be a double homicide.

Dave sat down on Alli's bed, with the phone to his ear. "Who am I kidding? I love her with every ounce of who I am. I can't even imagine not being with her, even if she is pissed with me. Ric, I fucked up and I don't know how to fix it. I'm scared that my marriage is over and I don't want it to be." Britain didn't hear Dave's confession; she only heard the hurt and angry words from him. Had she stayed a little longer, she would know just how he felt.

As they spent their night in separate rooms, neither of them had a clue to what the other was going through. Britain thought Dave didn't want to try and the idea of him being with another woman killed her. Dave thought _she _didn't want to try and the idea of her leaving cut him like a knife. If only these people could talk to one another, then maybe they would make some headway. To everyone on the outside looking in, they seemed like the loving, caring couple that everybody loved. But in that house with just the two of them, they had turned into strangers.


	27. Graduation Repost

**Repost...I have a habit of leaving out words. I think I type faster than my brain works. Sorry about the repost.**

_Author's Note: Hey there, we're nearing the end, so I'm wrapping up some loose ends. Sorry this chapter is so long, but I wanted to get it all out. You get a two for one bonus...two smut scenes. I realized that I never did an X and John scene. I can't live with that..._

_Anyway, I hope you Maddy/Randy fans will be happy._

**This chapter contains strong sexual content.**

Graduation

Maddy knitted her brows and pursed her lips as she made her way down the hall. She was pissed. _How dare he miss the single most important day of my life, so far?_ Everyone had been there, that is everyone except him. Even Chase made it and with everything going on with Cami, she really wasn't expected. It worked out better than she had ever dreamed; finally it was a day when everyone doted over her…_she_ was the center of attention, in a good way, for a change. Everyone was so proud and couldn't stop smiling…they all wished her well and wanted nothing but good things for her. Yet despite all of the attention, Maddy couldn't shake her disappointment…Randy did not come to her graduation.

The day had been magical. First Britain had treated her to a full salon treatment, then at the big event, her dad stood up and embarrassed her to no end when her name was called. The family posed for pictures and even Alli seemed like she was proud of her. After everyone came back from dinner, she noticed an extra car in the driveway. Maddy thought she would burst at the seams when she saw the champagne colored Lexus with the big red bow on the top. She had wanted that car for years, and now she finally had it. No longer did she have to beg Britain, Dave or Chase to use their cars or wait around for Alli to return from being out with "best friend" with the car they shared. That car meant more than just a set a wheels; it was a sign of her freedom. She was 18, she was a high school graduate, she was going to college, she was stripped of her curfew…Madison Batista was _finally_ a woman.

So how dare Randy not be there to experience it all with her? He was the with the bullshit excuses about her being a kid. There were no more excuses now; they could finally be together. Granted, she understood that he probably didn't want to date someone in high school, even if she was legally an adult.

Maddy held her breath before she raised her hand to knock. She needed to figure out what she was going to say. She didn't want to come across as desperate or like she was stalking him, but she kind of was. Maddy never had been very subtle and most definitely wasn't the type of girl that backed down from something she wanted and Randy was no different. She had wanted him since she was 13 and for the love of Pete, tonight was the night she was going to get him.

Gently she knocked on his door and let out a sigh. After a few moments without him answering she knocked again. She knew he was home; his car was in his marked parking spot. _Maybe he's avoiding me._ Just as she turned to leave, she heard his door open.

"Maddy? What are you doing here?" He asked running a nervous hand through his hair, wedging himself between her and his door. He leaned up against the door frame and closed the door partially behind him.

"You didn't come…I graduated today." She tried not to let the disappointment come through in her voice. "I did it. I'm finally legal." She stepped toward him, close enough to kiss him, but that height difference was a problem. Unless he _wanted_ to kiss her back, she couldn't reach his lips even if she wanted to.

Randy's face broke into a frown. "That was today? Shit…I'm sorry. You know I would've come had I known." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Congratulations."

Maddy backed up and looked at him strangely. "Congratulations? That's it? This is what you wanted right? All this time you kept reminding me that I was still in high school, well now I'm not…" She was interrupted when the door opened from behind him.

Randy looked nervously as the attractive blonde with big brown eyes smiled at Maddy. "Ah, Maddy this is Jackie…she does my tattoos." He looked in Maddy's eyes and knew instantly he was a dead man. "Jackie, this is Maddy…Dave's daughter."

Maddy nodded at Jackie, but never took her eyes off of Randy. "So that's all I am to you? I'm just Dave's daughter? Thanks Randy." She turned around to walk away, but stopped when she felt him grab her arm.

If looks could kill, Randy would have died from an embolism at that very moment. "Look Maddy…I'm sorry. I told you before nothing could work out between us. You're a really sweet kid and all, but…"

"You are so full of shit I can't stand it. I thought you were different from those stupid high school boys, but you're not. If you didn't like me, that's all you had to say in the first place. You didn't have to take me out, or go to my prom…oh my God, was I a pity date?" She felt sick with embarrassment. Her face was hot, her eyes burned and she clinched her fists at her sides to keep her emotions in check.

"It's not like that…I can't be with you because I am your dad's friend. I respect him too much to cross that line with you." He found himself touching her cheek, knowing that if she did cry it was going to kill him.

Maddy pulled away and glared at him. "Your date's waiting…wouldn't want to disappoint her too, right?" She turned to walk down the hall again but turned back before she reached the stairs. "You're a real dick, you know that? To think I wasted 5 years of my life following you around, hoping that you'd notice me. I can't believe I'm that stupid."

Randy watched her go and slowly turned toward his door. He didn't mean to hurt her, but there was no other way. He knew full well today was her graduation day; he knew it when he invited Jackie to dinner and he was most certainly aware of it when he asked her to come back to his place. Even Jackie knew something else was on Randy's mind, because he had been quiet and moping all night.

"So that's her?" Jackie asked leaning against his front door. "She's really cute." Her smile said she knew everything. She liked Randy, but she could tell from the moment she saw the way he looked at her, that he wished Maddy was the one he had taken out.

Randy lowered his eyes and stepped into his apartment. "I'm sorry about that. She's just a kid I know…she's got a crush on me."

Jackie laughed. "God, men are so clueless." She walked over to the couch and grabbed her bag, pulling it up on her shoulder. "_She_ has more than a crush on you…and by the looks of things; _you've _got a little more than a friendship with her father on her." She turned around and walked up to Randy and kissed his cheek. "You really should go after her."

Randy looked confused. "It's not like that…"

"You gotta a thing for her. If I were you, I'd go talk to her, before it's too late. She's pretty hot." Jackie smiled her famous smile and walked out the door.

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X laid in the bed next to John and noticed how tired he looked. Granted, they had a moving company to bring her and Ave's belongings to John's house, but John had still insisted on moving things himself and putting them all away before anybody went to sleep. She would have never figured him for an anal retentive neat freak, but he was. John had a thing about having boxes in his house…it wasn't happening. The only boxes left were in Ave's room and _he_ didn't have to go in there to see them. It had taken all day, but everything was put away. The back part of the basement was set up as a dark room for Christina, and every chemical, paper and camera was neatly put away and labeled. All of X's clothes were put in the walk in closet in John's room and he moved his clothes to the smaller closet; he did insist that they share the shoe closet though. He had entirely too many vintage tennis shoes to try to find a home for…those shoes were NOT moving.

"You tired?" She asked softly rubbing her hand against his cheek.

He nodded with droopy eyes. Even though his muscles screamed at him, he was happy. X was finally there. John Cena was going to be a family man, not that he had ever seen himself as a family man before. He reluctantly rolled over when X prompted him to do so and sighed when she sat her small frame on his back. Her small hands working his muscles did wonders for his body.

"Thank you, for letting Ave come." She said softly as she kneaded the muscles at his shoulder blades.

John grunted as the tension was being worked out of the cramped muscle. "She's your kid, Ma. I knew you wouldn't come if she couldn't. Besides, it'll be fun to have somebody here that'll play video games with me and act silly." He smiled thinking about how juvenile he could be at times. At least now he would have an excuse.

"You know things are going to change, right?" She leaned down close to his ear and kissed the side of his face. "No more walking around naked. No more watching porn on every TV and just leaving it playing when you're not in the room."

"Not even My Baby's Got Back?" He asked with a sound of disappointment in his voice. That movie was his favorite.

"Especially not that one." She climbed off of him as he turned over and repositioned herself to sit on his pelvis. "I don't know if you've thought about how much of a sacrifice this is going to be."

John put his hands behind his head and looked up at the small blonde perched on his body. "Are you happy? Cause that's all I want. I've wanted this with you for a long time."

X nodded. Who was this man? This certainly wasn't John Cena. "Why did you wait so long to say something then? You were the one always frontin' for your boys, like I was just something to do."

John bit his lip as he thought about how to say with and still sound macho. "I just ain't want them to think I was a bitch…like Dave."

X laughed deeply. "Dave's not a bitch."

"Bullshit. Britain's got him wrapped around her little finger and it's fuckin' embarrassin'. You should hear how the guys rag on him. I'm too smooth for that shit…I got a image to uphold." He smiled from ear to ear as he popped his imaginary collar. "But you do realize that I'm gonna have to turn in my playa's card now?"

She leaned down and kissed his lips softly. "And what about your image now?"

His arms came around her back and he held her close to him. "Fuck those dudes. I can whip all they asses. Besides, I know I got this to come home to." He patted her on her butt causing her to shriek at his touch. John kissed her, deeply, revealing just how he felt about her with that kiss. "I love you, Ma."

X smiled and kissed him again. His hard muscles felt like heaven under her body. She could feel his hand trailing up her t-shirt and she wasn't about to stop him. But when the bedroom door opened, she turned her head and heard John laugh.

"Tia…I mean, Mami, can you help me?" Ave stood in the doorway, looking at them curiously.

"Ave, you didn't knock. You have to knock on doors before you open them." Living with a child that she had never lived with before _and_ a boyfriend she had stayed with many times, but always had the option to leave when she wanted, was going to prove a challenge.

"Fine." Ave closed the door behind her and knocked.

John thought it was hilarious. "Yes?" He answered at the knock.

Again, Ave opened the door. "Can you help me?"

"Ave, no one said come in. Just because you knock does not mean you can enter." X tried to keep her smile to herself as she disciplined the girl.

Ave huffed and went out of the room again. She knocked on the door and when X answered she clinched her little fists and tried not to get mad. "It's me, Ave. Can I come in?"

"Come in." John answered trying to straighten his face. He still hadn't let X go from the position of lying on his body. It just felt too good to have her there.

"Can you help me now?" Ave sounded annoyed. But smiled when she saw John's blue eyes. She watched as X climbed out of the bed and walked toward her. Ave seized the opportunity and ran over to John and threw her arms around him. "You're gonna have sex aren't you?" Her smile was big as his.

"¡Ave Maria…no pides cosas de la gente como eso!" _Ave Maria…you don't ask people things like that!_ X tried to hide her embarrassment, but that child was a spitfire. This was _really_ going to be an adjustment.

John for one couldn't stop laughing. "I had thought about it, but that depends on you." He noticed the matching raised eye brows on both X and her daughter. "If you go to sleep, I just might…if you keep knocking on my door, there's no way I'm going to be able to."

Ave kissed his cheek. "I'll go to sleep, I promise." She walked toward the door and turned back to John. "Good night, John" She sang sarcastically and giggled as she walked down to her room.

X shook her head and smiled. "You…I'll be right back." John was definitely going to get an earful when she returned.

He laid on the bed and smiled at the ceiling. If nothing else, living with two women was going to be fun. He would have Ave to get him in trouble all the time and X to bust his ass at everything they did. He rested amongst the pillows waiting for her return and he couldn't help but to say out loud, "This is exactly what I want."

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Dave pounded on Randy's door, set to destroy the man as soon as he opened it. He couldn't get that whole scene with Maddy's out of his head.

_Maddy was a 5'3" ball of anger as she stood up against her 6'5" father and squared him with her eyes. Maddy might have been the smallest of his children, but she had his temper and could stand with the big boys any day. "This is all your fault. You told him he couldn't see me, didn't you?"_

_Dave had no idea what she was talking about. The last time he saw Maddy, she was still smiling about her new car. She went out and came back thirsty for his blood. "Pumpkin, what did I do?"_

"_You told Randy he couldn't be with me, didn't you. You just want to control everything, just like you tried to keep Jeff and Chase apart. Well you know what? I'm an adult, you can't tell me who I can and can't see. You need to stay out of my business." She folded her arms across her chest and dared him to say something she didn't like._

_The words, 'Randy' and 'be with me' instantly made the muscles in Dave's neck hurt. He was going to kill Randy. What the fuck did she mean by 'be with me'? "Randy? Did he touch you? I'm gonna fuckin'…"_

"_You aren't going to do anything. This isn't your business. Are you that miserable because you're marriage is falling apart that you have to try to ruin everybody's happiness?" She felt the first hot tears run down her face. "I love him Daddy, but he can't love me back, because of you. So I hope that you're happy. You manage to screw up yet another relationship." _

"Dave…what's up?" Randy opened the door, but didn't seem to notice to look on Dave's face. He did quickly find out that he was angry as soon as he felt Dave throw him up against the wall. "Dude…what's wrong?"

Dave eyes narrowed into slits and his face was just inches from Randy's. "What the fuck did you do to my daughter?" He had quickly scanned the apartment and noticed the candles and the soft music, thinking that had been for Maddy.

Randy panicked. "Nothing…she came over here and asked about graduation. I didn't touch her." His eyes were as big as saucers. He hadn't touched her _that_ time, but all those other times, he was keeping quiet about.

"You think I'm fucking stupid don't you? What the fuck is all this shit, Orton? You trying to seduce my daughter?" He tried to give Randy the benefit of the doubt, because he had known him for so long. But the thought of Randy touching Maddy was going to be his undoing.

Randy had enough, he couldn't take it anymore. He held his hand around Dave's fist which held his collar. "I have feelings for Maddy. I know it's wrong and I shouldn't, but I swear, I've never touched her. We might have kissed a few times..." He closed his eyes and waited for a punch in the face. But instead he felt himself being released.

Dave shook his head and walked away from Randy. "Why?"

Randy shrugged. "You think this shit is easy for me? She's this amazing girl, she's smart and she's beautiful and she loves everything, but I can't be with her because she's your kid. I broke her heart tonight, because I didn't go to her graduation. I didn't go because I that you'd be there. Then she came over here and I had another girl here. She was only here, so I wouldn't have to think about Maddy; only Maddy wasn't supposed to come over and she saw Jackie." Randy sat on the couch and looked up at Dave sadly. "So now she thinks I'm this big prick…"

"What do you want me to say Orton? I'm not ok with this. I know you…this my daughter we're talking about." He knew that when he tried to pull Jeff and Chase apart, he made them stronger. Dave had no idea what to do about this situation.

Randy nodded. "I know, that's why out of respect, I haven't pursued her. You told me to take it slow and I did. But I'm telling you, she's amazing." He let a goofy grin cross his lips. "Have you heard her sing? She's got this voice…and I taught her how to dance, she's really getting good. And chemistry…she was having a hard time, so I helped her study for her final and apparently she did well, because she graduated." Randy shook his head. "I have really tried to just be her friend, but I can't, so it's just better if I stay away."

Dave looked his friend and saw the pain in his eyes. This was un-fucking-believable. "You're in love with her aren't you?" Why couldn't he have had sons?

Randy looked up and nodded slowly. "This fucking blows." He had spent all his life racking up numbers with women. Never once did Rainy ever plan on or think about falling in love. "I respect you too much to end our friendship over this."

Dave knitted his brows. "I'm not ok with this, but my daughter is hurting and that to me is more important than our friendship. You fucked this up, you fix it. But know if you ever hurt her, I will end you."

Randy didn't know if it was a set-up or not, but the look on Dave's face said that he better get his ass up and follow. He had to fix what he did with Maddy and if he wanted to live, that shit wasn't waiting until morning…it was happening tonight.

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"You asleep?" X asked quietly as she closed the bathroom door behind her. She walked over to the light dimmer and turned them down.

John shook his head, but never opened his eyes. He was so close to sleep he could taste it. But it appeared that he was going to get in trouble for what he said to Ave. "Is Ave alright?" He asked quietly, trying to force his brain to wake up.

"Yeah, she wanted me to help her with her lamp." Christina made her way to the bed and smiled. "I have something for you."

John turned his head toward her voice, but still couldn't open his eyes. "What?"

She smiled. "You need to open your eyes to see it." As soon as her eyes met his, she raised her eyebrow and bit her lip. Slowly she untied her robe and revealed the stringy black underwear that Britain had given her months ago. She hadn't worn them for John, because they kept fighting since that time, but now it seemed appropriate. "You like?"

John nodded rapidly. He really liked those underwear…a lot. "Turn around." He commanded gently, feeling himself harden as he saw the thin string of the thong disappear in her ass, and reappear around her hips. Every string of those underwear fit her body beautiful, they covered up nothing, but left so much still open to the imagination. It was like a puzzle, a ball of string to try to unravel, and he would have fun untying every one until he found his prize.

She slowly crawled on top of him and kissed him. "We need to celebrate our first night living together." She voice was low and sexy and her tongue gently trailed his jaw line. She could feel his hands gripping her hips, guiding her to sit on his on groin. She could feel him, through his boxers, poking her in the thigh, but she wasn't ready for that yet. "We're gonna do this my way."

John closed his eyes. "Yes ma'am." He liked when she took charge. He marveled in the feel of her hot mouth kissing his chest and her tongue slowly making circles across his nipples. He dug his hands in her hair and caressed the back of her head at the feeling. It took all of his restraint not to flip her over and fuck her senseless. But she wanted this her way, so he laid back and took the assault.

X smiled when she felt John's stomach quiver when she reached his navel. She slowly stuck her tongue inside and felt goose bumps when she heard him moan slightly. She loved when he was vulnerable. She patted his hips for him to rise up, and she slipped his boxers down. John was a beautiful man, with a beautiful body and he had the most beautiful appendage she had ever seen. How women thought that clean shaven men were gay, she would never know. There was nothing gay about John Cena.

He sucked in a breath when she blew a cool stream of air over his heated arousal. She was going to be his undoing. He clinched his jaws tightly when he felt the sudden warmth of her mouth gently taking the tip of him in. Her small hands worked him from below and just her mouth on tip was enough to make him feel it through every nerve in his body. He raised his hips slightly to encourage her to take more in, but the more did, the more she pulled away.

"If you don't stop, I will." She whispered with a twinkle in her eye. She knew she couldn't overpower him, but she was in control and they both knew it. Her tongue snaked out and licked him from the tip to the base and then made circles on his thighs. She climbed over him so that their bodies formed a T and she laid out full on the bed, before swallowing him whole.

His breathing was labored and deep low grunting came from his voice. Her soft moans were in rhythm with the strokes from her mouth. He knew they couldn't be as verbal as they wanted, not with Ave down the hall. But, if the kid got an earful tonight, he'd just try to explain in the morning.

X loved having John in her mouth. It was the only time he gave up total control. She could set the pace and do what she wanted. Slowly, she twisted her body without releasing him, so that she laid on top of him. She could feel his hands massage her backside and the occasion slap on her ass that made her smile.

John pulled her hips up so that her pelvis was within reach and put her knees on the bed. He rubbed his hands across over her thighs before untying the straps at her hips so that her panties fell off. He gently ran his fingers over her mound and noticed how she sucked harder when he did that. Locking his arms around her waist, he pulled her down so that she rested on his mouth. His tongue was slow and worked in circles, his pace matched hers. Every time she sucked, he sucked…every time she licked, and he licked. He mimicked every movement she made, causing both to gasp and moan.

X couldn't concentrate on pleasuring John anymore; his tongue was driving her insane. She grinded her hips slightly against the tight hold he had on her forcing him to stay where she wanted him. She released him for only a moment to look back at him. She sat up straight so that she could twirl her hips faster, feeling more of him on her. She licked her lips, before laying back down to finish her own job. She relaxed the muscles in her throat and swallowed when she felt the tip hit her uvula. She heard John gasp and knew she had him where she wanted him.

"You gonna make me cum, Ma." John breathed heavily as his head fell back on the pillows. "Shit, Chris…I ain't gonna be no more good if I cum." He didn't want her to stop, but he damn sure wouldn't have anything left if it ended right there.

X pulled off and climbed off of John. She turned around so that she faced him and slowly lowered herself on him. She closed her eyes and dug her fingers in his chest as she started a slow but steady rhythm on him. She reached around to take off her bra, but stopped when his hands touched hers.

"Leave it on." He responded licking his lips. The little thin pieces of string covered her breasts in a fashion that her nipples were covered by the shear material; he fucking loved it. He guided her hips up and down as he raised his legs so that his feet were flat on the bed, giving her more stability and him more leverage to thrust upward. His hands gripped her hips tightly, squeezing the flesh making circles on her pelvis with his heavy thumbs.

X threw her head back, enjoying the feel of him. She grabbed his hand and sucked his fingers into her mouth, before trailing that same hand back down her body and over the part of her that was joined with him. To feel his fingers aiding her in finding release was overwhelming. Her speed increased as did the strength in his thrusts, his fingers teased her and she gripped her breasts feeling every movement on every part of her body. "I love you." She managed to say before she completely gave over to the feeling. She bit her lip hard, so that she wouldn't scream and wake up her daughter, but not being able to release the sound didn't mean she was unable to release the pressure.

As soon as John felt her muscles stop contracting, he sat up and grabbed her and flipped her over. Now it was his turn to be in control and he couldn't wait. With her now on her back, he kissed her softly as he continued to move in and out of her. He hooked his bicep around her thigh and brought her leg up over his shoulder so that he could get deeper inside. His movements were slower and more concentrated, his strokes were longer and the slight twirl of his hips as he did so, increased the feeling. He dipped his head lower and licked her nipple thought he shear material…biting it, nudging the fabric from over to where he finally freed her right breast from the confines of her bra. As he suckled, his rhythm never changed. X's hand in his hair and the other one pushing on the small of his back forcing him deeper, was enough to start the chain reaction in him.

She started speaking Spanish to him, encouraging him to go deeper, harder and not to stop. She twirked her hips, meeting his strokes and could definitely feel the change in his erection. He could feel him swell inside of her, he noticed how his hips lingered to keep him deep inside her longer before he would pull all the way out and thrust back all the way in. John was on the verge, she knew it. She grabbed his head and forced him to look in her eyes. "I love you, John."

"I love you." Somehow he managed to say before everything went black. He exploded deep inside her and swore he saw stars. His body still continued to pump as the last of his seed emptied in her body. Each slight movement of her hips pulled more and more out of him. He wasn't sure he could stop. "Don't move…please…don't move." If he didn't stop her, he would be cumming all night.

She laughed at his face; it was so serious. She wiped the sweat from his brow and kissed him on a rosy cheek.

"Amazing." He whispered as he rolled to his side and wrapped his arm around her stomach. "I don't know what the fuck you said, but that Spanish is some sexy shit." He smiled lazily and put his head in the bend of her neck.

The hell with the covers, all he could do was pray that Ave wouldn't come in their room during the night. Neither he nor Christina had the strength to bend down and cover themselves. They had both expelled every ounce of energy they had to be closer to each other. Finally after all the secrets, all the hiding and all the other shit, they were finally as close as they both wanted to be.

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Dave knocked on Maddy's door and opened it slowly. She was lying on her bed, facing the wall blasting some depressing song on her stereo. He walked over to the radio and turned it off, before sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Go away." She said as sniffled.

Dave was concerned, Maddy wasn't a crier. He pulled on her toes and smiled when she recoiled her leg from him. She was always ticklish on her feet, so he kept doing it, until she laughed. "Talk to me."

Maddy sat up and wiped her eyes. "I finally thought I found somebody that thought I was special. Boy was I wrong." She bit the inside of her cheek, exposing her deep dimples. "I just wanted somebody to notice me."

That didn't make sense to him. "What are talking about? You know how special you are."

Maddy shook her head. "No Daddy, I don't. Chase is your favorite."

"I love all my girls the same." He smoothed her hair and looked deep into her eyes. "I don't love anyone of you more than the other."

"You might not feel it, but you act it. Chase is so smart and you have always adored that. She does everything right, she's your Princess. All my life, I wanted to be your Princess, but I never measured up." She could tell he was going to interrupt her, but she kept talking. "Alli's mom's favorite. She's so good at sports and she doesn't argue back with her. Mom can put her trophies on her desk at work, but she can't frame my C's in her office. Then there's me. I'm just stuck in the middle. I don't have anybody that thinks I'm special. I tried to be smart, but I'm not as smart as Chase…I hate sports, so I can't compete with Alli. So, I found out that guys like me, because I'd do anything with them."

Dave didn't want to hear about Maddy and high school boys. "Pumpkin…"

"You don't know what it's like to be here and nobody notices me. Even the boys at school stopped noticing me when I stopped putting out. But Randy was different. He never once tried to sleep with me; he told me I was beautiful. He even explained football to me and didn't act like I was annoying him." She smiled thinking about Randy; he was everything that she had always dreamed that he would be. "He was so nice to me…so why doesn't he like me? I told him I would have had sex with him, if he wanted. But he didn't…I bet he did with that girl at his house, though. She was so pretty. I could never be that pretty."

Dave wrapped his daughter in his arms and held her tightly. "Madison, you _are_ beautiful, you_ are_ smart and you _are_ special. You don't need a man to tell you that. And I'm sorry if you felt like you were second to Chase or Alli…you are _my_ baby girl. You are so special to me because you are _my_ first born child. You are the first thing that I ever did that made sense. I adopted Chase, but no matter what when it comes down to it, I love her like she's mine, but she will always have another man's blood in her veins. _You_ are my child, you and Alli, are _my _babies. I love you. I'm sorry if you didn't know that." He stroked her cheek as she cried on his shoulder. "You may not have been my Princess, but you have always been my little Pumpkin. You had these little cheeks when you were a baby and you looked like a little Jack-o-lantern when you were teething, so that's why I called you Pumpkin. Because you looked like the most beautiful pumpkin that I had ever seen."

Maddy smiled, she had no idea her dad cared. "I'm sorry I've been so much trouble."

"I'm sorry I haven't been a good Daddy." He kissed her on the forehead. "Now, this thing with Randy is really weird to me. He's my friend and I know what kind of guy he is. He's a lot older than you and he's been around…a lot. But I'm out of the relationship police business. If I knew what the hell I was talking about, I wouldn't be sleeping in your sister's room; I'd be in my room with my wife."

Maddy could see the hurt in Dave's eyes. "I know you guys will work it out. You have to, because she's the only thing that makes you happy."

"That's not true. My girls make me happy, and seeing you happy, makes me happy." Dave stood up and pulled Maddy up with him. "Now go downstairs…someone wants to apologize."

Maddy's eyes widened. "You brought him here? Jesus Daddy, he already thinks I'm a kid. Now you've just proved it."

Dave was dumbfounded; he thought that bringing Randy there would be a good thing. Just as he started to explain, he noticed Britain standing in the doorway. "Randy got here just before your Dad came in." So Britain lied, it wasn't the first time. She walked over to Maddy and gave her a hug. "I talked to him, he feels like shit, Liebschen. I think you should let him explain." Maddy nodded and left the room.

Dave touched Britain's arm and smiled when she turned around. "Thanks."

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for Maddy." She said with it no malice, but dropped her eyes and walked out of the room. She had heard every word he said, she loved how he was with his girls, she loved how he cared about them; but she couldn't help to feel sad that he didn't care about her that way.

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Randy's palms were sweating as he waited in the living room. Dave had been upstairs with Maddy for a long time and he wasn't sure if she would ever come down. But then he looked up and saw her standing there. Even though she was wearing a Poison T-shirt and boxer shorts, with red eyes and tussled hair, she looked amazing. He had ample time to play over in his mind what he was going to say to her, but when he finally saw her the rehearsed speech didn't sound right.

"I'm sorry." That was all he could think of at the time. "That girl at my house…nothing happened."

Maddy crossed her arms and stood a good distance from him. "Doesn't matter. You can do what you want. It's not like you owe me any explanations."

Randy was getting frustrated; Maddy was just like Dave…stubborn. "Look, this is hard for me. I never wanted a girlfriend; I enjoy my freedom. But I never wanted to hurt you either. I never thought that I could feel anything for a woman, other than sex. But then…I noticed that I would think about you whenever you weren't there. I had to make myself not call you, or hide when I knew that you were around, because if I saw you I would want to kiss you." Randy walked closer to Maddy. "I know I fucked up and you're probably really pissed with me. But I don't really know how to be in love."

Maddy's eyes widened. "What?"

Randy smiled. "I think I'm in love with you. So what do I do now?" He couldn't believe he was asking Maddy for advice in love. But he wanted her, even if she was just an 18 year old kid that would be leaving a few months of college. He would try to make it work, he had no choice. His heart and fate had led him to this point and he couldn't ignore it or deny it any longer.

Maddy smiled back and shook her head. "All these years, I've been wanting you to say something like that to me."

"What? That I'm in love with you?" Randy couldn't resist teasing her. "Well I am. Madison Evelyn Batista, I, Randal Keith Orton, am in love with you." He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. He noticed how _she_ increased it and couldn't help but to laugh. This girl was too much; she was definitely going to be the death of him. "Can you get outta here? I want to show you something."

She looked around and nodded. "I need to change my clothes, but I could leave. What do you want to show me?"

"I want to show you what it feels like to be made love to." He whispered in her ear and grabbed her by the hand. "You look beautiful and where we're going, you won't be underdressed."

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Randy had bedded many, many women in his day, but never once had he been as nervous as he was with Maddy. He wanted it to be perfect; he wanted her to see that he cared about her. He didn't want her to feel used like those other guys she was with. He lit candles in his room, and he sat with her on his bed stroking her cheek and looking into her eyes. "Are you sure you want to be here?" His voice was full of concern that she may just be doing this because she thought he wanted it.

She nodded. "I've always wanted this."

"I'm not using you. I don't want you to pacify me. I can wait as long as you need."

"Randy, I'm not a virgin…I've done this plenty of times. It's ok, really."

He shook his head. "No, it's not ok. You had sex so that guys will like you. I want to make love to you, so you will know how much you mean to me. I already like you, even if we don't do this. I'm not going anywhere." His smile was gentle as he placed his hand on hers. "I'm tired of running, besides I know you'd chase me."

"What do you want me to do?" She was so use to guys wanting her to do all kinds of things to them. Never once in all the times she'd had sex did she ever have an orgasm, or have a guy do anything to please her. It was always about them, and how she could make _them_ feel.

"Nothing. Tonight is all about you." He gently stood up, and pulled up her up with him. He kissed her passionately taking the time to run the pads of his thumbs down her neck. He trailed his hands down her arms until he found her hands. He brought them up to this neck and forced her to hold him. With her arms around him, he tickled her arms as he lightly ran his fingertips back down her sides. He reached the hem of her T-shirt and gently brought it back up with him.

Maddy followed suit and in not so graceful of motions, she reached at his sides and pulled off his shirt. She swept her eyes over his chest and could resist licking it. The space between his pecks she found the most inviting. Randy's body was a work of art and she wanted to study every inch of it.

Randy chuckled. "Slow down. We have all night." He kissed her again as he started to remove her boxers. As they fell to the floor he couldn't resist the smile that crossed his face at her underwear. "Tuesday? Today's Friday."

She shrugged. "I thought I'd spice it up a little. You know, where the wrong day on purpose." She totally forgot about the day of the week panties she was wearing. Had she known _this_ was going to happen, she would have had on something much more grown up.

Maddy reached for his waistband and looked up when his hands touched hers. "I don't always wear underwear." He warned, but noticed how she raised her brow and quickly yanked at his pants.

Maddy's breath caught in her throat. She had sex before, but never with a _man_. Randy was _not_ a high school boy. His thighs alone could break her pelvis without even trying. "You have the most amazing thighs. Wow." She ran her hands from his waist to his thighs, feeling every muscle under her hand.

Randy couldn't stop the twitch in his groin as her hands stroked his thighs, nor did he try. He couldn't, it was right there hard and firm for her to see. He took her in his arms, bending slightly to lift her off the floor and place her in the bed. Once over top of her he smoothed her hair and looked her in the eye. "We can go as far as you want. I would hate to know that you regretted anything…that you regretted me."

Maddy shook her head. "I love you. I could never regret you." She leaned her head up and kissed him. She felt his tongue in her mouth making soft circular patterns with hers. She felt him back off and trace his tongue across her bottom lip, before sucking gently on that lip, bring her all kinds of new feelings.

Randy slowly kissed her chin and worked his tongue down to the hollow of her throat. He kissed her neck and let his tongue travel downward until he met with valley of her breasts. Taking both breasts in his hands and pushing them together, he gently ran his tongue over her already hardened nipples. Gently, he opened his mouth and suckled her, all the while feeling her writhe beneath him.

Maddy was in heaven. She had no idea her breasts were an erogenous zone. No one she had ever been with had taken the time to find out. Sure guys had touched her there, and she faked a moan or two, but no one had ever fed on her the way Randy did; no one made her feel like she wanted to pull out her own hair, just by using their mouth on her breasts.

Randy looked up at her as he trailed his tongue lower. He paused to flick the ring in her belly button and then slowly he licked her waist. He sat up and smiled as he touched her through her underwear, feeling the heat from her body radiate on his hand. "It's so not Tuesday." He said softly as he pulled them from her hips. He let out a quick breath as he looked at Madison. _She's only 18…why the fuck do they give 18 year olds bodies like this? _"You are beautiful."

Maddy smiled as she gazed at him. She found herself looking at the ceiling when she felt his hands touch her thighs and gentle way he opened her legs. She couldn't hope that he would do what she wanted him to do, because no guy ever had. She covered her face with her hands, to try to hide her blush.

Randy removed her hands. "I want you to watch me." When she locked eyes on him, he nestled shoulders between her legs and gently used his hand to part her. He breathed in her intoxicating scent and licked his lips. She was so young, he could think of a million ways to turn her out. But he wouldn't cheapen their first time together; there would be plenty of time for that later.

Maddy sucked in a deep breath as soon as Randy's tongue hit her inner thigh. He was going to do it and she didn't know what to do.

He smiled and let the tip of his tongue gently run the course of her sexuality. The response he got was overwhelming. Maddy closed her eyes and held her breath; he felt her body stiffen under him. "Look at me." He said softly and continued to taste the most sensitive part of her. Every time he would stroke her on a certain spot, he noticed how she would back away, as if she were trying to escape. She was fighting it, but he wouldn't have that. Randy used his strength to put her legs on his shoulders and then he locked his arms around her waist, lifting her bottom off the bed so that she couldn't go anywhere. He licked, sucked, and nibbled on her. Each new thing he did, he got a different response, and when he lowered her bottom back on the bed, he took the liberty of gently sliding his finger into her. Just snug feeling of her body against his fingers made him doubt that he could actually complete the task at hand.

Maddy's eyes widened as she felt Randy take her to a place that she had only read about in books. She couldn't stop her hips from bucking or the smile that crossed her face. She called out his name as she felt as if her soul was lifting from out of her body and hovering over them. As she drifted slowly back down to her body again, she looked at Randy with dreamy eyes.

He could have pleasured her all night. He was getting off by the look on her face, the way her eyes widened in surprise…he knew she had never experienced anything like that before, and it was just her luck that he was an expert. He felt her tug at his arms. He reluctantly let go of her, but not before kissing her body back up to her lips. He felt her open her legs and position him so that he could enter her. Slowly Randy took her lip in his mouth and started to push forward.

Maddy hadn't even noticed when he put on a condom. He was that damn good, that he took her to heaven and back and she never once noticed a break in his actions to open and slip on a condom. As soon as he started to enter, Maddy winched. Randy was much bigger than any guy she had been with and she was small girl, but she wouldn't let that stop her. She closed her eyes against the pain and planted her feet firmly on the bed so that she could push upward to help him.

"Relax. I don't want to hurt you." He whispered stilling her movements. Randy guided himself slowly, inching his way into her body little by little. After rolling his hips to try the approach from different angles, he finally found himself completely sheathed. The way her body constricted him, excited him to no end. He looked at her and she nodded and he started a slow movement, twirling his hips with each time he descended. He never took his lips off of hers, even when he sped up.

Maddy matched his strokes; he was bringing out something in her that she didn't know existed. She felt wanted, she felt beautiful, she felt sexy and finally she felt loved. She loved the fact that he knew what he was doing. He took his time to make sure that she enjoyed every stroke. He played around with speeds and depth; he changed from short movements to long strokes, each time asking _her_ if she like it. She never had anyone care if she likes having sex with them before. When she found a combination of his strokes, rhythm and hip movements that she felt was utter utopia, she was surprised that that's how he continued.

Randy felt Maddy's body start to tighten around him. He could feel small contractions inside of her. She was so tight already that he had to concentrate on not ending too soon. But when her moans increased and her nails dug into his back and her kiss increased, he knew she was nearing the end. He brought his hand between them, rubbing her slowly as he continued to go deep. He was rewarded with her wet warmth surrounding him, and hearing her whine his name.

It was only a matter of moments before he would end too. He managed to hold on for a little bit longer, but soon he released her lips and gritted his teeth. He pushed into her deeply as he came with strength that he had not felt in a long time. He was surprised that he said her name when he ended. He _never_ called out a woman's name in bed; mainly because he could never remember it.

Maddy watched silently as he rolled off of her, instantly missing the feeling of him from her body. He too was silent as he discarded the condom and laid next to her. "That was better than I dreamed." She said with a big smile.

Randy laughed. "You dreamed about me?"

She nodded and closed her eyes.

"Good. Because you were just as beautiful as I dreamed that you would be." Randy kissed her softly and pulled the covers up around them. "I swear you're going to be the death of me." He said when he felt her hand gently rub his hip. He could feel himself harden again at her touch. He would never get enough of her. He laid back as when she pushed him but he couldn't read her smile. But he soon closed his eyes when she showed him why the boys at St. Michael's School nicknamed her, Jaws.

Finally after what seemed like an entire night of carnal pleasure, Maddy and Randy slept in each others arms. Neither cared about their age difference or the fact she was just a _kid. _Instead they both relished in the fact that they were there, they didn't have to hide anymore, they were in love and they were the only two people in the world.


	28. Better or Worse?

Better or Worse?

The pain in Jeff's neck was unbearable as he tried to straighten himself in the rocking chair. This day was not unlike any other day; another day of sitting vigil at Cami's side, waiting for the doctors to say that today would be the day she could go home. Although weeks upon weeks of the same monotonous behavior would have proven boring to most people, being with his daughter and seeing the little improvements here and there was the most exciting thing in the world to him.

As he shifted once again, he let his eyes flutter open. Cami still hadn't come back from the tests that they had to run. He still didn't understand what they were testing for; _she_ was perfect to him. But if everything went well, she would be taken off of the breathing tube. That would mean that she would only have the feeding tube and according to the doctor, Cami could be released with a feeding tube.

Just as he stood to stretch he smiled when Chase entered the room. What he wouldn't do for a hot shower and a warm bed...and a home cooked meal and a back rub…and maybe some attention that only Chase could provide him with. But he wouldn't complain about all the things he was missing out on, being a parent was about sacrifice, right?

"Hey." She kissed him quickly and looked around the room. "Where's Cami?"

"She's still havin' tests done. They been gone for awhile, she should be back soon." Jeff stretched again and then wrapped his arms around Chase, smiling when rested her head on his chest.

"Do you think that maybe tonight _we_ could get out of here?" She let go of Jeff and started to pace the room feeling guilty for even asking. "I don't want to leave Cami, but for weeks, _this_ is the only thing we have done. I'm going crazy. I need to get out…even it's just to a movie or something. I feel like I'm suffocating in here." She glanced up at Jeff, but felt that she still needed to defend herself. "I talked to Maddy, she said she could stay the night…did you know she and Randy are together? I don't even know when that happened, I mean she's always had a crush on him. It's just too weird and she said my Dad didn't really freak out or anything…I mean he went to Randy's and stuff but…what?"

Jeff couldn't stop smiling. He missed the way she could ramble about nothing without taking one breath. He missed seeing her smile, he missed how deep her dimples were; Jeff missed Chase. "Why are you nervous?"

"I was doing it again wasn't I?" Chase threw her head back and sighed. "I just feel like a really bad mom right now. How can I want to leave when I know that Cami's still here?"

Jeff gently folded her in his arms and sighed. "We gotta face the facts that she may be here for a long time. We gotta figure out how to still live. I gotta go back to work soon and you got school comin' up again." He touched her chin to lift her head to his. "That don't make us bad parents." He kissed her ever so softly before he heard someone clearing their throat.

Jeff and Chase pulled apart and looked at the nurse as she wheeled the basinet over to Cami's space in the room. "She did really well."

"Where's her incubator?" Jeff asked as the nurse locked the wheels of the basinet in place.

The nurse smiled. "It appears Ms. Cami here, no longer needs it. She's moved up to a basinet."

Chase batted her lashes to stop the sting in her eyes. She walked over slowly to her child and touched her, not through a little door, but in a bed…a little tiny bed, that she could lean over and touch her daughter without bounds. "Her breathing tube's gone." She said smiling as she turned her head toward Jeff. "She's breathing on her own."

"Would you like to hold her?" The nurse asked and smiled at their response. For Jeff and Chase to have waited seven weeks to hold their daughter, they both looked scared to death.

Jeff tried to steady his breath as Cami was lifted out of the basinet. Being the youngest, he didn't have any siblings to practice on. He stood there awkwardly, with his arms straight out and smiled when he looked at Chase who had her arms crocked, folded against each other, showing him how to hold her.

As soon as Cami was placed in his arms, he closed his eyes and tried to remember to breath. She was so tiny and so light; his gym bag was heavier than she was. He let his head fall forward and pressed his forehead to hers. She smelled so good, like Baby Magic and powder. He laughed through teary eyes when Cami batted her lashes when his hair fell in her face. "Hey Cami. God it feels so good to hold you." He was afraid to walk back to the rocker with her and afraid to adjust the position that he was holding her. So instead he just stood there, staring at her; smiling harder then he had ever smiled before.

Chase was overwhelmed. She walked over to them and gently kissed Cami on the top of her head. "I love you." She whispered, hoping that her daughter knew that she meant those words. She noticed that Jeff was leaning to hand the baby to her and Chase happily accepted. She held Cami's bottom in one hand and the back of her head in the other and gently put her up to her shoulder. She rubbed the baby's small back as she walked back to the rocker. She didn't need to look at her; she just needed to hold her close. Cami was in her arms for the first time. She could feel her little warm breath on her neck and her little fingers scratching at her.

Jeff almost completely lost it. It was one thing to hold his daughter; it was something else to see Chase hold her. He could see how much she loved the baby…the baby that they created. This was his family, this was his love. As he made his way over to the rocker, he smiled kneeling down next to them. He couldn't resist touching the blonde hair on his daughter's head. The shade was somewhere between his dark blonde and Chase's goldenrod. This little girl was the ultimate combination of her parents. She had Jeff's fight and Chase's looks; she had Jeff's eyes and Chase's heart. Cami was the best of both Jeff and Chase.

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2 plane tickets to Hollywood $600, a hotel suite $1400, 45 minutes in the room with Britain and Dave…priceless. In 45 minutes, they had managed to slam all the doors, mumble under their breath, barely look at each other and still not say anything. It was bordering on stupidity.

Britain had taken to locking herself in the bathroom. She wasn't going to spend any more time with him than was unnecessary. After a long shower, she mulled around looking for something to do, so that she wouldn't have to be in the same room with him.

Dave sat on the bed patiently waiting for Britain resurface. They were going to talk, even if he had to lock them in the room together. But the longer she took, the more pissed off he got. _She's doing this shit on purpose._ Dave was determined; he would wait her out all night if he had to. And then, his cell phone rang. He didn't bother to answer it. If it was important, they would have called Britain's phone next. When it didn't ring, he knew it was Rebecca. Why couldn't she take the hint? He had spelled it out for her, but she was desperate, as desperate he was to work things out with his wife.

The cell phone ringing was the straw that broke Britain's back. Angrily, she opened the bathroom door and glared at Dave. "You're still here? I thought you would've left by now." She rolled her eyes and walked over to her suitcase to find something wear. She was getting the fuck out of that room.

Here he thought this weekend would be about them bridging the gap between them. He had hoped that it would be romantic and he would a chance to prove to her how he felt. But Britain was being _Britain_. She was hurting him because she could and frankly he was fed up. "No Britain that's your thing. _You're_ the one that runs when things get tough."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She whipped her head around and stared him up and down. He may have been 10 inches taller and 200 pounds heavier, but she wasn't afraid of him. If nothing else, she knew Dave would never physically harm her.

Dave stood and walked closer to her; he was going to fight fire with fire. The only thing that she seemed to respond to was arguing, so if it was an argument she wanted, an argument she would get. Only, Dave never argued fairly. When he felt trapped or backed into a corner, he would lash out and say hurtful things. That is the reason that he usually settled his differences with his hands and not his mouth. "It means that every time shit gets thick, you fucking run to _Mami and Vati_." He mocked her voice when saying her parent's names. "You are 30 years old, when the hell are you going to grow up? Your parents aren't in our fucking marriage…it's you and me."

"When am _I_ going to grow up? That's rich coming from you. When the fuck are you going to learn how to be married? You would think after your _other_ two, you would have a fucking clue." How dare he say that she was acting immature? _He_ was just as bad. Granted neither of them were acting their age, they were playing tit-for-tat, but that was still easier then dealing with the real problem. "You don't ignore your wife Dave. You don't pretend everything is fine and go behind her back and fuck someone else."

Dave looked at the ceiling and shook his head. "When are you going to let this go? It was a fucking mistake! I fucked up, I want to move on."

"Why is everything always about what you want? Oh I forgot, you're _Dave Batista_, the fucking Heavy Weight Champion of the World." She put her hand on her hip and rolled her neck at him. "Well you know something Champ? You may be great in the ring and have thousands of fans that think you walk on water and can shit ice cream, but the truth is, you are a fucking joke. You let them and that bitch fill your head with some grandiose idea of who you are…you let her convince you that you could no wrong, that you were above the vows you took. How many more marriages are you going fuck up before you get it right?"

That cut him deeply. She had let one mistake erase the years of happiness they had together. She was hitting below the belt. "And you're the expert at relationships, right?" He knew the next words out his mouth would wound her, but at that moment, he wanted her to hurt as badly as she hurt him. "Because from where I stand, I think I've done a hell of a lot better then the losers you've been with. You want to talk about fucked up relationships? Let's talk…"

"Go to hell, Dave."

"I distinctly remember you telling me about a boyfriend, who fucked you in a room full of his friends. I don't recall disrespecting you like that."

"Shut up!" She was on the verge of tears. How could he use the painful parts of her life to win an argument?

"Do you want me to go on? Because I can."

"You make me sick. The sound of your fucking voice is making my skin crawl…every time you look at me, like that…I want to fucking throw up. I hate you right now, so I suggest, you just leave me the fuck alone." This trip was a mistake. She didn't want to be there, she didn't want to be there with _him._

"What do you want to do?" Dave's voice was stern; he was tired of dancing around their problems. "Do you want a divorce? If that's what you want, I'll sign the fucking papers right now, because I can't live this. I'm _not_ living like this anymore. I have done the best that I know how to do and yeah, I made a huge mistake but maybe if I wasn't in this marriage by my damn self, I wouldn't've."

She nodded; finally he admitted that this was her fault. "Fine. If that's what you want." She turned and opened the door. He wanted a divorce…there was nothing she could do to change his mind. He didn't want to try, they were over.

"Britain…" He called after her, but was answered by the door slamming behind her. He picked up the lamp and threw it at the door. She was supposed to listen; she was supposed to understand…she was supposed to let him explain that he wanted to try again. He didn't want a divorce; he didn't even know where that came from. All he knew was this weekend where he was supposed to get his wife back; he just managed to push her further away.

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For the first time, Jeff heard Cami cry. It was more like a high pitched squeal than a real cry, but it was music to his ears. He had no idea what she was crying about, but this little girl had a set of lungs on her. Bouncing her didn't work, neither did rocking her. He tried to walk around with her; he even attempted to change her diaper…nothing made her happy. "What do I do?" He turned to Chase and asked with a confused grin. Parenting 101 was starting now.

"Take off your shirt." Chase said laughing at Jeff's face. "She's use to being warm with all those lights on her. Baby's like human contact…they like to feel the closeness of your skin on theirs."

He thought she was crazy, but it was worth a shot. Jeff handed the baby over and did as he was told. He unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged as he reached back for her. As soon as her bare skin touched his, she started to nestle against him and curl up in a ball. He closed his eyes and rocked with her, gently stroking the smooth skin on her back and smiling when Chase put a blanket over them. Jeff started to hum a tune that he didn't know the name to, but it was something that he remembered his mother singing to him. He was amazed…Cami stopped crying, stopped fidgeting and she fell asleep.

"How'd you know that?" He asked turning to Chase who raised her eyebrows as if to say _I told you so._

"I'm the oldest remember? And I have a lot of cousins. My mom use to do that with Alli…probably with Maddy too, but I was too little to remember that. It always made Alli stop crying. It's called Kangarooing."

"She snores." He laughed at the small groaning sounds she made in her sleep. "She sounds like you."

"I don't snore." Chase said defiantly and poked her tongue at him when he nodded.

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Britain ran down the hall toward in search of Chris Jericho's room. She pounded on the door and hoped he had already checked in. She was greeted by Jess, who called for Chris after looking at Britain's face. Jess helped her in the room and held her, not sure of the problem. All she knew was Britain was upset and she really needed Chris.

Jericho walked over to her and lowered his head to look at her face. "What's wrong?"

Britain covered her eyes with her hands and cried. "He wants a divorce." The tension in her pounding head was overwhelming. Her palms rested on her forehead as she gripped her hair. "I'm going to lose my husband because of that bitch."

Jericho shook his head and lifted her chin forcing her to look at him. "No…you're going to lose your husband because of you." He noted the expression on her face and hugged her. "You gotta let this go, Buttercup. I know it's hard, but you have to."

Britain turned to Jess and looked at her with pleading eyes. "How did you forgive us for what we did?" Everyone had told her to forgive, but she needed a diagram on how to do it. It was last hope. "Please…I love him; I don't want to lose him."

Jess took over consoling her while Chris silently walked out of the room. He was not the type to butt in, but his friends needed him to. He sighed heavily as when he stood outside of the door and knocked bracing himself for Dave's temper. "We need to talk." He said seriously walking past Dave without being invited in.

Dave gave Jericho a death glare. "I don't want to talk to you." He hadn't talked to him since he found out about Britain secret. How dare Jericho show up at his room?

"Britain's a mess…she thinks you want a divorce."

Jericho's words barely registered with Dave, all he could see was him having sex with Britain; probably like that's all that Britain could see when she looked at him. Be that as it may, the last thing he needed was his wife's former lover telling him what he needed to do to save his marriage. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" All he needed to know was why they kept it a secret. Did Jericho still have feelings for Britain? Was she going to leave him for Jericho? "We've been friends for years and not once did you say anything."

Jericho held up his hand. "I didn't say anything because it wasn't any of your business. That was Britain's place to tell you."

"You should have told me!"

If ever two bullheaded people deserved each other, it was Dave and Britain. "What the fuck was I supposed to say, Dave? Hey you know your new girlfriend, I fucked before and got her pregnant…how the fuck do you think that would've gone over?"

Dave's anger found a new direction and it was named Chris Jericho. "Why the fuck did you let her go through that by herself?"

Jericho, who unlike his TV persona was always an easy going guy, but something in the accusatory manner that Dave questioned him, pissed him off. "You don't know shit about what I went through. How do you think I felt when she told me she was pregnant? I wanted her to have the baby, I was gonna work shit out with Jess, but I wanted to take care of my responsibility. I knew what kind of asshole Bagwell was, and I told her every chance I got, but she wouldn't leave. Then she told me that she was going to tell that fuck up that _my_ kid was his because she didn't want me to lose Jess. He killed my kid, Dave…do you really think that I wanted that? Do you think that if I would've known what he was going to do that I would let her go through with it? She's stubborn as hell, but she's not fucking stupid."

Dave sat on the couch and hung his head. Why was all of this so complicated? The unresolved issues lead to an affair; this unresolved affair was leading to divorce court. "She won't listen." His voice told his defeat as he looked to Jericho for some answers.

"She's been through a lot Dave, don't be something else for her to get through. I don't care how tough she acts or how fearless she comes off…she's scared out of her fucking mind. She's been searching for love for years and she's gotten the shitty end of the deal every time. She finally found it with you, so don't you give up." Jericho sat down too, he didn't want to be the mediator, but this had to stop. Someone objective needed to step in.

"I don't want a divorce. I want my wife back. I want our marriage back. I just don't know how to get it. I thought this weekend, we would hash out all this shit and finally get back on track. I really fucked up."

Jericho nodded in agreement. "Yes you did and so did she. We didn't know that she wouldn't be able to have kids now. I didn't know that this was going to lead you to do what you did. I never wanted Britain to feel pain like that again, if I would have known, I would've told you."

"This isn't your fault, this isn't her fault…this is my fault."

"No one is to blame. All of us made mistakes. You two have got to stop blaming each other and yourselves. It happened; it's in the past…leave it there. All that matters now is what happens from today forward." As he stood to leave, Jericho looked back at Dave. "She's an amazing woman; I just hope you realize that."

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Chase and Jeff sat silently trying to figure out what the doctor was talking about. What the fuck was Universal Newborn Screening and what did that have to do with Cami? She looked fine, she was getting better…she had all of these accomplishments. Why did they want to do surgery?

"I don't understand." Chase said confused. "She's fine." It didn't make sense that they wanted to operate on Cami…there was nothing wrong with her despite her weight and the feeding tube. "You said yesterday that she would be going home soon." She held Cami closer to her body in fear that they take her away.

"I know and she will. We need to see if we can do something about her hearing now." Dr. Jamison spoke in an even voice trying her best to console parents. "Camille failed her hearing test. I explained to you before that preemies have a lot of difficulties that we can't see right away. From the results of her testing, she has less than 25 percent of her hearing. If we don't do something about it, more than likely she will be permanently deaf by her first birthday."

Jeff's heart broke, Cami was deaf. Granted it wasn't as bad as some of the other things that could be wrong with her, but his little girl wouldn't be able to hear his music or hear him tell her he loved her. It was like being on a rollercoaster, one minute you were up so high because she was doing so well and the next minute you were plummeting so low because of a set back. "What do you want to do?"

"We need to see if there's any salvageable bone in her ear. Because she was born so early, it could just be that it wasn't developed. There are new techniques that we can try to forge a bone so that sound can bounce of it. When she's a little older, I would suggest giving her a Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. That's the kind that attaches to her head by using prongs on the inside of skin on her skull. It sounds really painful but it's not. It's what we do for most babies because they pull at hearing aids in their ears."

"So she can't hear?" Chase was trying to make sense of it, but the doctor was saying too many words. "Will she ever be able to hear?"

"I don't know. But we can hope that we can increase her hearing."

"Will she be able to talk?" Chase wasn't an expert on hearing impairment, but most deaf people don't talk.

Dr. Jamison touched Chase's hand. "If we can get enough sounds and vibrations to work in her ears, there is a good chance that she will be able to talk. She's only 7 weeks old, so it's good that we know this early. There's a lot we can do to help her."

Jeff looked at the doctor incredulously. "You wanna operate on her ears? She's a baby…"

"She's a baby that will be completely deaf without an operation. I'll give you some time to think about it, but please don't wait to long." Dr. Jamison offered a small smile before she left the room.

Both Jeff and Chase were silent as they looked at Cami sleeping Chase's arms. They had a decision to make, but which one was the right one? Let her go deaf completely and learn to live with a special needs child, or try to give her as normal a life as possible and risk losing her on the operating table. Neither said anything, they couldn't. Instead Jeff wrapped his arms around Chase and she held their daughter between them and they both prayed for an answer.


	29. Thoughts of Love

_Author's Note: Ok, I got a lot to say (this AN is going to look the chapter by the time I'm finished). I think it's only 2 more chapters left...I think. There is so much I wanted to put in this chapter, but it didn't work out that way. My Chase and Jeff muse demanded that I spend some time on them. TakersAngel123, this is for you. You requested a smut scene with Jeff and Chase, so here you go._

_Also, Rae Schaeffer, the goddess that she is did a banner for me for this story; it's fucking awesome! If you are interested in what I think these charcaters look like, go to my myspace page (if you click on my profile and then click on homepage it'll take you there), once on myspace go to pictures and the last one is the banner for Maintaining Perfection. Just a note, if you don't know what Rebecca looks like, she's the one in the top left corner. The one to the right of Randy is what I imagine Maddy to look like. The one next to Jeff is my Chase...you get the point. Please leave a comment if you check it out._

_Also, I have had several requests to do a Maddy/Randy story, which I'm toying with. I have an idea for a premise, but I don't know if I can make a whole story out of it. Send me suggestions and I'll try. I've already started writing Flawless which is the prequel to Perfect and the of how Dave and Britain met. I have done a banner for that one, but it's not as good as Rae's; so don't worry, she's getting her props...I will never be as good; but I will try. I hope to post that first chapter once I finish this story._

_Finally, I'm writing another story for you Jeff fans. It's called Someone Save Me. I've already posted 3 chapters and it's doing pretty well. It's based off of my life and my struggle with Anxiety Disorder and OCD. If you get a chance, check it out; and leave reviews...I love reveiws. _

_With that, enjoy the chapter. I promise, I'll get to Dave and Britain. I think I finally know what I'm gonna do with them._

_Shanny_

**I forgot...this chapter contains explicit sexual content.**

* * *

Thoughts of Love

Britain and Jess walked into the bar of the hotel and found a table. As soon as they sat Britain felt her cackles come up. "This night has gone from bad to worse." She looked around Jess to see none other but the bitch who started it all standing at the bar ordering a drink. She could feel Jess' hand on hers and she knew what she wanted her to do. It wasn't like Jess didn't do the same thing to her ten years ago. "Do I have to?"

"If you want to save your marriage, you have to." As sweet as Jess was, she could be a hard ass at times. She would have to be to stand being married to Jericho. "Go over there and tell her what you want."

"What if I just want to beat her ass again?" Britain looked at Jess and couldn't help but to smile at Jess' smile. She didn't want to fight. But she knew how she could get and she was sure that if Rebecca came off wrong, she wouldn't hesitate to swing on her.

Jess shook her head. Britain would never change. "You can beat her ass, _after_ you tell her what you want."

Britain sucked in a deep breath and got up from the table. She walked over to Rebecca and looked back at Jess who was motioning her to go ahead. "Rebecca, I need to talk to you." It took all the restraint she had not to punch her in the mouth. She had done already that and it didn't make her feel any better. _Maybe if I do it again, I would feel better._

Rebecca looked at Britain in disbelief. "I have nothing to say to you." She turned around and headed back to her table.

Britain wasn't having that, she wasn't being dismissed. She followed her back to her seat and stood at her table amongst some girls she didn't know. She had sized them up already; she could whip their asses too. But she needed to be the mature one. "Leave my husband alone. There is nothing you need to say to him anymore. You had your one night, now let it go. Stop calling my house and hanging up, stop blowing his cell phone. He doesn't want you. He loves me." She spoke slowly and clearly making sure Rebecca understood everything she was saying.

"Leave Dave alone? Tell Dave to leave me alone." Rebecca was on the verge of tears. Why was everyone blaming her? "I didn't do this by myself, Britain. No one made Dave come to my room that night. I didn't force myself on him; he was just as willing, but he hasn't had to go through what I've been going through." One of her friends touched her hand as if to comfort her. "I thought that he loved me. I thought that after you left, he would want to be with me. Instead, he called me a whore. Because of him, I lost my job at Raw. They demoted me to _interviewer_ on ECW…I hate that fucking brand. The divas won't talk to me, the guys all stay away from me…it's not fair. They modified my contract and now I'm on probation. I may lose my job all together, because Dave's mad that you found out. Nobody's mad at him, but you. So you tell him to leave _me_ alone and maybe I'll stop calling him."

Britain steadied her temper and her uncontrollable urge to laugh. That's all she had to deal with? She got off easy. "I'm gonna pretend like I give a shit. I'm sorry that you're having a hard time, but what you're doing isn't fair. You and Dave fucked up big time and you're getting exactly what you deserve. I have no control over what Stephanie and Vince do, but know that Dave isn't getting off so easy on his end either. But these games you're playing, they aren't helping. If you want him to back off, leave him alone and let us work out our marriage."

"I can't help you." A single tear rolled down her face. There was a part of Rebecca that felt remorse, but there was a bigger part of her that was jealous. She wanted what Britain had with Dave. She could still smell his cologne and feel his hot breath on her neck.

"Yes you can and you will." Britain stood up straight and lowered her voice. She wasn't being threatening, she was being honest. "You tried to ruin my marriage, but I won't let you. I love Dave and he loves me and we are going to get through this. If you think you have it rough now, keep fucking with me. You have no idea what I can do. It's not a threat, it's a promise. Just stay away from him, that's all I'm asking." With that Britain turned on her heel and walked away. She had no idea what Rebecca's next move was, but she had laid down the rules. If Rebecca wanted to play, she would lose, it was that simple. But Britain didn't want to resort to that. She hoped there was some decency in that woman, and that she would leave well enough alone.

"I'm proud of you. Not once did you raise your voice. I was listening for it." Jess smiled when Britain sat down. "I didn't want to have to fuck anybody up tonight." They laughed. Jess wouldn't fight unless someone was after her kids; she'd let Jericho get his ass beat if it came down to it. Hell, he would probably deserve it. "Now let's just hope she understands."

Britain thought back to a time when Jess told her to stay away from Jericho. The situation was different, but she did what she was asked. It wasn't until years later, did she see him again. Even then, she went to Jess first to see if it was ok. Things had changed in five years. Jess was pregnant with Ash and she and Jericho were so happy. It was then that they could talk about it and that's when the women became friends again. Jess knew how important Jericho was to Britain and how much she needed him in her life. She also knew how he always felt that he had let her down and the guilt he had surrounding the loss of their child. She couldn't keep them apart, not even if she wanted to. They were friends, above everything else; they were friends that needed each other to heal.

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Randy looked suspiciously at the small baby that Maddy was holding. She was little and wrinkly…like a Sharpe puppy. But he couldn't help but smile at how little her feet were. "She's gonna be an elf, like you." He pulled up a seat next to Maddy and looked at the baby again.

"I'm not an elf. I happen to be 5'3"." She continued to pat Cami's back in an attempt to get her to burp. The nurse had just injected Chase's milk into Cami's stomach via the tube and the last thing Maddy wanted was for Cami to be gassy.

"Yeah, a 5 foot 3 elf. How the hell did you get to be so small? Your dad's huge." He couldn't help but to admire how maternal Maddy was. He had never wanted kids before, but Maddy just looked natural holding a baby.

"My grandma on my dad's side is short. She's only 5 feet tall. I guess I take after her. Chase isn't tall either, she's only 5'5"; Alli's the amazon." Again, another thing she failed at. She wasn't as tall as her sisters. Although she knew that Randy didn't mean it negatively at all, she couldn't help but to feel inferior. "Hand me that stuffed dog." She motioned to the basinet, where Scraps, Chase's dog as a baby laid in the place that Cami called home.

Randy did what he was told and sat back down. "Can I ask you something? Why do you hate Alli so much?"

"I don't hate her; she's _perfect._." Maddy repositioned Cami so that she could stretch out in her arms. "She's everything I'm not. She's tall with these long legs and she's really pretty and she's athletic and boys just love her to death. Only she doesn't love them back. She has this _best friend_ and for the longest time she thought I didn't know…but I would see the way they looked at each other. She got to spend the night at my mom's all the time and sleep in Alli's room. It wasn't fair; I had to sneak out to go on dates, but she had in house ass all the time. My mom knows; she has too. Alli's not really that good at cover-ups."

Randy knitted his brow. "So all of this was jealousy? You were mad that she got to screw some chick and you couldn't?" It didn't make since to him, but Maddy had been holding a grudge for some time now.

"I don't think they've ever done it, but I know Alli's in love with her. I think I was more pissed that my mom accepted Alli being gay but she didn't accept me for being me. It's not Alli's fault, but it was just easier to take it out on her. She didn't start calling me stupid or a slut until I started calling her a dyke. It's like the more my mom ragged on me, the more pissed I got at Alli. I just wanted to make her feel like I felt. That's all I had to tease her about." She suddenly felt sad for her little sister. Maddy had never considered how hard it must be for Alli. Here she was the youngest child of this wrestling superstar, her step-mom was model, her oldest sister was dating one of the hottest guys in the WWE; she never considered what coming out would do to her family. "I guess I shouldn't've."

Randy regarded Maddy and frowned. "Maybe you should talk to her. You two were close when you were younger."

"Yeah…maybe." Maddy stood up and handed Cami to Randy. "What? I gotta go to the bathroom."

"I don't do babies." Randy felt himself panic and then suddenly become really annoyed that Maddy was laughing at him.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself. She's 4 pounds…you're scared of 4 pound baby. You're what 245? Hold her…I'll be right back."

Randy looked like the most awkward person on the planet holding this baby in his hands. He was afraid to hold her any other way. She was so small, he could easily palm her and her feet barely hung past his wrists. She was squirmy and little, but man she was cute. She looked a lot like Chase. Randy poked his tongue out at her when she poked hers out first. He found himself looking into her little green eyes and wondering what she was thinking. _God, I can't believe I was this little once._ Granted he probably wasn't that little, ever, but he _was_ a baby at one point in time.

Randy couldn't stop smiling as he thought about the future. He might actually want one of these one day and he could definitely see himself having kids with Maddy. Hell, if John could become a dad overnight, surely he could. _They aren't so bad. All you have to do is change them and feed them_. As soon as that thought ran through his head, Cami started to cry. "Ah, ok…stop crying." He looked around nervously, yet no one was coming to his aid. He started to panic; he had no idea what to do for a crying baby. "Look, if you're hungry all I have is a Snickers."

"You can't give a baby a Snickers." Maddy laughed as she approached. "Why don't you try putting her on your shoulder and patting her back."

He shook his head. "You do it." He held Cami out toward Maddy as if that child had rabies. He frowned when she refused and noticed how she sat down casually and picked up her magazine. Randy looked at her with pleading eyes then looked back at the crying baby in his arms. He hitched her up on his shoulder and softly made large circles on her back. As soon as she started to settle, he smiled. "See, all the ladies love it when I rub their backs. Ain't that right, sweetheart?" He had made his voice higher and nodded as he talked to Cami.

Maddy wasn't impressed. "Yeah right." She sat down her magazine and looked at them both. She couldn't help but to think that one day she would like to have a family with him. "Are you sure you want me to go to this Hall of Fame thing with you tomorrow? I mean, we just started officially seeing each other and I understand if you don't want anyone to know."

The look on his face bordered on confusion and disappointment. "Of course I want you to go. I want everyone in the world to see how beautiful my girl is…plus, I want to see how hot you look in that dress you bought." He smiled when she leaned over and kissed his cheek. He happened to catch a glimpse of them in the mirror, Cami up on one shoulder and Maddy's head resting on his other. This looked right, it felt right. _I definitely could get use to this._

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Jeff and Chase moved like zombies, both feeling guilty over being away from Cami, both trying to silently figure out what was in the best interest of their daughter. Chase silently set the table as Jeff took the food out of the bag and began to scoop portions out for them both. They both loved Chinese food, but neither did at that moment. They picked through the meal, both looking like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders.

"You think I should call the hospital, just to make sure everything is ok?" Chase asked as she sat her fork down. She reached over toward her purse to grab her cell phone and looked up when Jeff's hand touched hers. "What?"

"She's fine. She's with Maddy…Maddy'll call if there is a problem." But there was a problem, there was a very big problem and neither one could take their mind off of it. "Come here." He patted his lap and waited quietly as Chase sat herself down on him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I just can't do it right now. We ain't talking about hospitals or operations or Cami's health or anythin' else. All I want to talk about is us. Please?" He could feel her nod against his shoulder and he closed his arms tighter around her body.

Chase kept her head in the bend of his neck and her lips lightly brushed it as she spoke. "Can we talk about our wedding?" She felt herself smile when he nodded and began to stroke her back. "Where do you want to get married?"

"Somewhere pretty." For Jeff to be artsy and have a vivid imagination, he was pretty skimpy on the details.

Chase sat up and looped her arms around his neck, looking him in the eye. "I'd like to get married here."

"At your Dad's house?"

She shook her head and turned up her lips. "No genius, in Florida. Maybe Miami or the Keys."

"But it's hot here, Chase. You can't have a big ole dress in this heat." He made a face to show his dissatisfaction for the Floridian climate and let his head touch the back of the chair.

"What if I don't want a _big ole dress_?" She mocked his accent when she said it. "What if I just want something simple and light? If we get married on the beach, I could wear a little sun dress and then we'd have the waves, and the sand and the ocean breeze…it would be beautiful." She closed her eyes as she imagined standing on the sand with him, saying her vows.

Jeff pursed his lips. That is not the image he had of their wedding. "I want you to wear a big formal weddin' gown. I know exactly what I want it look like; I want to design it for you."

She opened her eyes and smiled. "You'd do that?"

"Yup. It'll show off all your best features."

"I'm not wearing a thong wedding dress, Jeff." She playfully slapped him on the chest when he made a wounded face. "I can see it now, it would somehow be crotchless and you'd cut out the nipples and put tassels on there…that's so not going over with my father."

For the first time since Cami was born, Jeff laughed…a real laugh, a deep laugh from the pit of his stomach. "I was thinkin' that was more for the honeymoon."

"Where do you want to go?"

"Somewhere quiet." He thought about it and looked at Chase and smiled. "I'd like to go back to Venice. Venice was great."

Chase had a far off dreamy look in her eyes. "Yeah, it was. Somewhere around there is where we made Cami."

He heard himself chuckle. "It was definitely Venice." He replayed their vacation over in his mind. That night in Venice, under the stars on the balcony of the hotel they stayed in, that was the night that he got a little carried away and didn't pull out in time. That was night that started them on this rollercoaster ride. But had it not been for that night, they wouldn't have that beautiful baby, waiting to come home.

"When do you want to get married?"

Chase's soft question pulled him out his memory. He had a smile on his face when he answered. "As soon as possible."

"How about when Cami comes home?" As soon as she said it she knew she broke the rules. They weren't going to talk about Cami, or the possibility that she would be in the hospital for a long, long time.

"How 'bout September 17th?"

"What day of the week is that?" She rolled her eyes when he shrugged. "Why September 17th?"

Jeff pulled her body away and looked at her face confused. "You don't remember what that day was?"

She thought about it for a second and smiled herself. "Yeah. That was the first time we made love."

Jeff nodded. "But that's not why I want to marry you on that day. That was the first time I told you I loved you. I always felt it, but I just couldn't say it until then. That night meant so much to me." He ran his thumb over her dimple as she smiled.

"That night was so great. You were so wonderful and patient and gentle. I would love to marry you on September 17th." She returned her head to his shoulder and sighed. "Jeff? Would it be too much if I asked if we could make love tonight? I just need to feel like we're in the same place."

Jeff kissed the top of her head. "You don't ever have to ask, Chase." He watched as she got off his lap and extended her hand toward him. He placed his hand in hers and let her lead him toward the stairs. Just before they reached the first step, he paused.

"What's wrong?"

"We got this whole place to ourselves, right?" He looked around the living room of Dave's house and smiled.

"Yeah. Alli's away on her basketball team's field trip, Maddy's staying at the hospital and my dad and Britain are out of town. It's just us." She didn't know why he was stopping, but that smirk on his face told her he was up to no good.

Without saying anything else, he led her over to the plush grey love seat and stood in front of her. "Are you sure you're ok to do this?"

Chase nodded. "I had my 6 week check up last week. Dr. Allen says I'm fine. She also said that because I'm nursing, I shouldn't get pregnant." Not that she really minded now. She knew that this is the life she wanted, to be a mother and a wife. As long as Jeff was by her side, it didn't matter anymore.

Jeff leaned down gently and kissed her, cupping both of his hands around her jaw. He closed his eyes when her hands made it inside of his t-shirt and slowly started to pull it up his sternum. He bent slightly to help with the height disadvantage, so that she could pull it over his head. He watched her quietly as she unbuttoned his pants, letting the already baggy garment fall to the floor. Her hands on his waist as she tucked her thumbs inside the waistband of his boxers, made him flinch. He hadn't felt Chase on him since before Cami was born and missed her, desperately. Her mouth was warm as she kissed his collar bone, followed by his chest. He held her close, not wanting to lose the feeling of her body pressed against his.

Chase never took her eyes off of him as he undressed her. There was a time when she was embarrassed to be naked in front of him; there was a time when she would request that they have the lights off, because she didn't want him to see her that way. Those days were over. She trusted him; she loved him. Her body had returned to normal since the birth of Cami, all except her breasts which were fuller; there was nothing to be ashamed of. She let him sit her down on the love seat and watched as he grabbed a pillow and placed it on the floor in front of her.

Jeff knelt down to Chase's height and kissed her slowly and passionately, taking the time to let his tongue run over lips before allowing it to enter her mouth. The inside of her mouth was warm and tasted like Egg Foo Yung, not he that minded. He loved the taste on her. While kissing her, he let his hands run down her body and pulled her legs so she rested at the end of the couch cushion. He used his weight to lean her back slightly and then he moved from her mouth to her neck.

Chase's hands in Jeff's long blonde hair reminded her of all of the times they had made love. She always freed his hair from the ponytail that he normally wore; she just like having his hair touch her. Even if it didn't have anymore color left to it, his hair was still beautiful. She let out a small gasp when his tongue circled her nipple. Her breasts had become extremely sensitive since she had Cami. The slightest bit of stimulation would make her milk let down. Anything from hearing a baby cry, to a certain chime of the clock that she normally pumped, made her body react naturally; her body instinctively knew when it was time to feed her baby. At first she thought he would be hesitant, but he didn't seem to mind. He continued to suckle her, as if _he_ were the one that she was nursing. Her body responded in a way she hadn't planned. One was a relief from the engorgement, the other as total erotic bliss from his mouth on her.

Jeff fed on the milk from her breasts, not minding that it was sweet or warm. It was Chase, that's all that mattered. He let his tongue travel lower, down to her stomach and he gently kissed the home that his daughter had known for so long. That belly held life in it, it created a safe place for his baby to grow and though he could never put it into words, he was extremely grateful that she housed his child as long as she did. He smiled when he licked her tiara tattoo on her waist. That was his favorite part of her. He remembered how scared she was when she got it and the cute pink cotton panties she wore that day. It was funny, how a tattoo could remind him of everything that happened one on day in his life.

Chase leaned back when he opened her legs and pulled her right leg up to rest on the arm of the loveseat. She let her back touch the back of the chair and closed her eyes when his lips touched her thigh.

"I love you." He whispered, before slowly kissing her, closer and closer to where she needed him. He put her other leg over top of his arm and used his fingers to open the folds of skin, exposing her to him. He was painstaking slow, creating a small amount of pressure with the tip of his tongue. Chase liked it that way. She liked when he pleasured her using only the smallest of strokes and only the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes against the feeling of her warmth on his tongue. She tasted as sweet as the milk she made and it took total concentration for him to drag it out and let her feel him, without making her end too quickly.

Chase's breaths were steady and deep, feeling each movement of his mouth on her. She moved his hair over to one shoulder so that she could watch him. He looked so satisfied, like he enjoyed it as much as she did. She could feel his warm breath on her as his tongue moved; it created a sensation that made her toes curl. She bit her lip as she tried to keep the feeling that he was giving her to herself, but as soon as he changed directions and started to explore more of her with his mouth, a gasp escaped her. She loved him, she loved everything about him.

To anybody else walking in on what they were sharing, it probably would've looked like he was going down on her. But to them it was so much more. It was an expression of love. It was pleasure and privilege, it was peace and serenity. It was two people showing each other how they felt about one another through the use of their bodies. It was sharing, it was giving…it was beautiful.

Jeff moved his head so that he could kiss her thighs and trailed his kisses down her leg. He wanted to taste every single part of her body. As he kissed her ankle he smiled. "I love your toes." He bit his lip, when she laughed at the tickle that his tongue made as he ran it across her toes. He loved to kiss her feet. They were the same little cute feet that Cami had. Cami had her toes, even the cute little pinky toe that he loved to paint over and over again. He released her foot and picked the other one up off the floor before peppering it with kisses. He followed the same course on the way back up as he did on the way down and ended with his mouth over the most exquisite part of her.

"Jeff." She whispered when he tongue made contact again. She noticed the moans that he made, he was feeling the same things she was and she wasn't even touching him. She bit her lip again as her moans got heavier and higher in pitch.

He could feel the change in her body. She became wetter and body softer, yet he could feel the muscles in her thighs tighten. She was about to give herself over to him completely. He took the opportunity to close his mouth over her and gently suck on her, to which he could feel her grip on his hair tighten. He heard her say his name in a high pitched squeal and then he felt her entire body go limp. Jeff kissed her there, just as slowly and passionately as he did her lips. Never wanting to lose the taste of her. He rested his head on her thigh and licked his lips. "I love doin' that to you." And it was the truth. He had gone down on a number of girls, but he only made love to Chase with his mouth. He licked the trail of milk that glistened on her abdomen back up to her breasts and smiled when he reached her lips.

She loved tasting herself on him and she wrapped her arms around him to deepen their kiss. "Stand up." She whispered and smiled when he looked at her suspiciously.

"Baby, you don't have to." He ran his fingers over her temple and looked into her deep blue eyes.

Chase nodded and kissed his nose. "I want to." She let her tongue travel over his neck and she gently sucked on his Adam's apple, before trailing her tongue down over his pec. The fine dark blonde hairs on his chest tickled her nose as she slowly started to suck on his nipples. She loved his chest and his stomach and every other part of Jeff Hardy. She had pushed him backward so that he leaned back on his feet, giving her better exposure to his body.

Jeff slowly stood and watched as Chase tucked her hair behind her ears and folded her legs under her. Her hands trailed his midsection as her mouth made the decent lower, down his stomach. He looked down at her and their eyes met as she opened her mouth and let her tongue touch him. His head fell back so that he looked at the ceiling when he felt her take him in deeper and deeper. Everything about her turned him on, from her small hands slowly making movements on the parts that her mouth couldn't accommodate, to seeing her mouth stretched out across him. His head fell forward and watched the way her breast moved with each time her head moved.

Chase wrapped one arm around his thighs in an attempt to bring him closer to her. With her other hand, she removed one of his from her hair and placed it on his length, so that he could set the pace. Gently, she used the arm wrapped around him to push him forward and pull him back. She stopped when he caught on and kept the rhythm himself. Her hands now trailed his thighs, knowing what that did to him. She released him from her mouth and watched as he still stroked himself with his hand. She lowered her head and let her tongue roam over the globes of flesh that had been neglected during this encounter. Slowly, she sucked them into her mouth and felt a tingle through her body at the sound he made.

Jeff felt her tongue run over his hand and soon the warmth of her mouth return on him. The feeling was overwhelming and he couldn't stop it if he tried. "I'm gonna cum, baby." He whispered his warning and noticed how she grabbed onto his ass and held him still, her suction increased and he knew he was powerless. With his hand on the back of her head he let himself go, feeling her pull all of what he had to give her out of his body. "Chase…" He whined as his orgasm reached a pinnacle. And when he finished, he watched as she slowly backed off and smiled. She was so beautiful, her lips were red and swollen from her efforts and he couldn't attack them fast enough. He laid on her in an awkward position on the love seat, so that she leaned back and he hovered over her. He could taste himself, mixed with the taste of her and it tasted like ambrosia.

Long moments passed where the pair just looked into each others eyes, neither needing to say anything. Everything they needed to say, they had already expressed to each other. Chase titled her head and ran her fingers across his beard and offered him a small smile. Her dimples drove him crazy and he closed his eyes as he leaned in to her lips. He scooted her down to the edge of the chair and slowly he sank into her. His head rested on her shoulder and hers on his. They held each other tightly as he moved gently. He marveled how her body still conformed to only him. Even after having his child, her body was still as tight and warm as it had ever been. They kissed each other passionately; they still wanted to be closer. Jeff backed off and stood, holding his hand out to her, which she took. He sat on the loveseat and helped her to sit on him.

Chase faced away from Jeff; her legs were close together in between his that were open, so that her feet touched the floor. She could feel his chest against her back as he held her close while she moved on him. His tongue and lips trailed the back of her neck before he started to suck on her shoulder. She watched his hands as they kneaded the flesh of her breasts and thighs while she lifted her arms behind her so that she could hug him and keep him close.

It was only a matter of time before the feeling of the them together became too much for either to take. Words of love were expressed and feelings of bliss where shared. Chase ended first, feeling herself collapse against him and her head lay in the crock of his neck. Jeff wasn't far behind as he placed kisses on her cheek and ended with a force that made him tell her how much he loved her. They were spent, exhausted, and totally in love.

They were silent as they made their way to her bedroom. They turned down the covers and climbed into the bed, still not saying anything. Jeff laid his head on her chest and listened to how steady her heart was. Just feeling her small hands stroke his back, broke something in him. It started as a sniffle, and then he allowed himself to cry. He held her so tight as he wept for his daughter. They weren't supposed to talk about Cami, but it was on both of their minds. He wept with sound and each painful cry made him shutter.

Chase held him close and kissed his head as her own tears fell. "It's ok, you can cry." She stroked his hair felt herself grow stronger. "I'm going to be strong for you for a change. So you cry all you need to." She listened as he released his heart through his tears.

"I just don't know what to do anymore." He was broken. All his hopes and dreams were fading and he didn't know how to get them back.

"Just love us and we can get through anything." She whispered, ignoring her own tears. She listened as he settled and they both remained quiet.

Neither of them expressed what decision they had made, but they knew that they had reached the same one. They were going to do what was best for their child and they were going to do it together. The love that they had for each other and their baby could stand up against anything. Nothing and no one was going to break them apart.

As the night progressed and both had fallen asleep, Jeff awoke to look at the beautiful woman that laid next to him. She had grown up so much since when he first met her. He couldn't wait to marry her and for Cami to come home and they could finally be together as a family. He afforded himself a kiss as he slowly parted her legs. With the utmost care and precision, he found himself inside her again. He just needed to feel close to her. He looked at her blue eyes as they opened and his tears started to fall. "I love you." He told her, while kissing her. These weren't tears of sadness, they were tears of love, they were tears of hope that things would get better.

"I love you, too." She answered and held him as he made love to her. This was the life that she wanted and with him. And she comforted by the fact that they would have it; together.


	30. All is Forgiven Repost

_**Repost...sorry. I had some really complicated sentences in there and I had to take them out. They made sense at 1am, not now. It doesn't change the story any, I think now some sentence just are easier to read.**_

_Author's Note: Ok, it's 1:48 am and I had to finish this and post it before I went to sleep. It was driving me crazy. Anyway, this reads like an epilogue, but I swear it's not. There's one more chapter which will be the last. _

_Now for something I don't normally do. I have another story...Miscommunication, which is my favorite story that I've written. Anyway, I'm stuck on how it should end. If you get a chance, check it out...it's very sexually explicited so be warned. If you get passed the sex it's really a good story. But I don't know who I want the female character to end up with. If you read it, please review, email, or carrier pigeon me and tell me who you think she should end up with. I really wanna finish that story. I hate having it drag out this long. _

_Ok, with that we're coming to the home stretch. I hope to have the Epilogue done in a few days. I've always known how this would end. Now I just have to put it into words. Shout outs come at the end._

_xoxoxo_

_Shanny_

**_This chapter contains sexual content._**

All is Forgiven

Britain twirled her engagement ring around on her finger with her thumb noticing the way that the light made it sparkle. The day he proposed had been one of the best days of her life. She felt her wedding band and how perfectly the casing surrounded her engagement ring; they were symbols of what was supposed to be an undying love. She could still remember their wedding day and the look in his eyes when he made his vows. He meant every word he said and that ring, that endless circle, was just a symbol of his promise to her. She could still feel his hand on hers as he slipped that ring on her finger and the way he kissed it after it was on. That was a bond that they made before their family, friends, the government and God.

She noticed the light shine on her and then heard the bathroom door close. She didn't turn over to look at him at all; she just kept looking at her rings. They were supposed to mean something; even if they didn't mean anything to him, they meant something to her. They meant for better or worse…_it can't get much worse than this._ They meant good times and bad…_we've gotten through shit before._ They meant that she owed it to her marriage to try. But there was one problem…he said he wanted a divorce.

Dave pulled back the covers and tried not to disturb Britain as he sank into the bed. He hated the way she was rolled all the way over to the other end, trying her best not to have him touch her. He found it strange lying on her side of the bed, but he didn't complain. He ran his hand over his mouth noticing the way his wedding band felt warm against his lips. His ring matched hers, _his _ring symbolized that they were two separate parts of the same being. Those matching rings meant that they were one; there was no beginning and no end to the circle, just like their love. He had fucked up and now he had to make it right. But there was one problem…she wouldn't forgive him.

Neither spoke for a long time. Both thought the other had drifted to sleep. But when Dave reached out and touched her hair, he noticed how she flinched. "Britain…I didn't mean what I said." His voice was soft as he braced himself for an argument, but he was surprised when he didn't get one.

She still didn't turn over, but she kept twirling her ring around her finger. "I keep trying to figure out how we got here. How did we manage to fuck things up so bad?" She was beyond placing all of the guilt on him. She played her part in the downfall of their marriage. All she needed to know was how did it come to this. Where did they go wrong?

Lying on his back, looking at the ceiling Dave let out deep breath. "Somewhere along the lines, we forgot to trust each other."

She scoffed and shook her head. "We haven't even been married a year yet. This is the kind of thing that happens 15 years into a marriage when it gets stale. I just don't understand." She didn't need to look at him, because she already memorized his face. His brow would have lines of worry, his warm brown eyes would be searching for an answer, his lips were probably pressed tightly together as he thought, with his chin raised in question. She knew Dave; she knew exactly what he looked like at that very moment.

He rolled his head toward her and looked at the back of hers. "What are you thinking?"

She rolled over to face him and refused to smile because her mental picture of him was correct. "I just wanna stop being so damn angry with you. I keep telling myself that it's ok to still love you and that you won't hurt me again, but every time I try I get mad all over again. I wanna trust you, but I don't know if I can."

"Can we talk, please?" He knew it was shot in the dark, but it was his _only_ shot. She nodded slowly. It was either this or call the lawyers when they got home. "These are the rules; no matter what is said, no one leaves this room. Not until we get all this shit out in the open. No more yelling, no more insults or trying to hurt each other…let's just figure it out."

Britain smirked. "If I can't leave, can I at least throw the lamp at you?"

Dave countered with a smile. "No throwing…besides I already threw the lamp and broke it when you left earlier."

So there it was, it was the chance that they were both going to take. Neither knew what the other would say, nor how the other would react; but at least it was a start.

"Why'd you sleep with her?" Britain's voice was low and she never took her eyes off his Adam's apple. She just didn't want to look in his eyes. She knew the reason, but not the rationale.

Dave sucked in a deep breath and turned back to face the ceiling. "I was angry with you. I shouldn't've gone there. I knew she had a thing for me; she'd even kissed me a few times before. I was just so hurt, ya know; and there she was. I just needed to direct my anger at something besides you." He turned back to Britain and noticed how her eyes glazed with tears. "I didn't intend on having sex with her when I went to her room. But it doesn't change what I did."

She bit the inside of her mouth at his response. What was she supposed to say to that? If she excused it, he could do it again when he got angry. "Do you have feelings for her?"

He shook his head at his wife. "At first I thought I might, but I don't. I just liked the fact that I could talk to her when you shut me out. She would listen to me and I missed that."

"Why didn't you tell me? Not once did you say anything. All you had to do was say, I'm unhappy and I would've changed. I would've done anything to make you happy." She didn't mean to sound accusatory, but it honestly was the way she felt. "Do you want to sleep with her again?"

"No. I don't want anybody else but you. Nothing is worth losing my family over." He struggled with himself not to wipe her tears. She was talking to him which was more than he could ask for. Lord knows how she would react if he touched her. "Why didn't you ever tell me about Jericho?"

"It never seemed like the right time." She finally looked in his eyes and saw his confusion. "I never planned on you. You were supposed to be just one night. But one night turned into two and two turned into a week…and I thought, I don't really know him, he doesn't need to know. Before I knew it, we were together for a few months …and I thought, I really like him, if I tell him he won't forgive me, he doesn't need to know. Then you told me you loved me and I knew I loved you too…and I thought, this would really hurt him, he doesn't need to know." She tried to steady her voice as she put it in a linear timeline for him. "Then you asked me to marry you …and I thought, we'll have a family of our own, he doesn't need to know. Then we started trying to have a baby and I couldn't tell you because too much time had passed…and I thought if I tell him now, he's going to leave and I was right. If I could have kept it from you forever I would have."

"Why?"

"Because I'm embarrassed, I'm ashamed…I feel defective because I can't have a baby now. How do you tell the man that you're in love with that you got pregnant by his friend? And how do you say the reason I can't give you children is because of a mistake I made years ago?" She wiped her hand over the tears on her cheeks and licked her lips. "I thought I was protecting you."

Things had gotten blown out of proportion. All this time he thought she was keeping a secret from him because she and Jericho didn't want to him to know, never once did he think that she was trying to protect him. She knew how he would react and he proved her right. He took that personal information and gave himself permission to have an affair. "Do you want to be with Jericho?"

Britain laughed through her tears. "No. I never did." She looked at Dave's face and wondered how he could think that. "I love Chris, but I love him like I love my brother. Even now I look at him and ask how the hell did I sleep with him? He's always gonna be a part of my life, but I don't want a life with him."

"Do you want a divorce?" He whispered his question almost afraid of how she would answer.

Britain shook her head. "No. I want what we had back. I am so beyond pissed with you right now, but I don't know how stop loving you."

Dave reached out and touched her face. "I know that I hurt you and I know that you don't trust me. But if you don't believe anything else I say, believe this; I never meant to hurt you. I swear to you I will spend the rest of my life making it this up to you." His eyes were glassy but he didn't care. "I love you and I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes against his words. She felt her hand touch his as he wiped her tears away. "I love you." She heard him whisper again. The more she tried to fight, the harder she cried. "Dave…"

"I love you so much."

She stroked his cheek and looked into those beautiful brown eyes. "All of this shit is in the past. We need to leave it there. We can't concentrate on our future if we can't let go of the past." She had a pained look on her face and she searched her soul for permission. "I forgive you."

That was most beautiful thing she had ever said to him. Those three words were like a key unlocking his emotions. Dave let himself cry tears of gratitude and love. "I'm so sorry baby. I love you so much." He kissed her gently and felt her love on his lips. "I can't believe I almost lost you."

Britain still held his face and looked into his eyes. "If you ever do something like this again, me leaving is the last thing you need to worry about. I will fucking hunt you down and rip your dick off before I kill you." She never cracked a smile because they both knew she was telling the truth.

"Yes ma'am." Dave nodded his head in agreement. "No more secrets?"

Britain raised one eyebrow and thought. "Well…there's a few but I swear they are nothing for you to be concerned with." She smiled when he laughed. She would never change, she couldn't. Britain wouldn't be Britain if she did. "I love you Dave. I've always loved you."

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John was on cloud nine. He kept replaying the conversation he had with Ave in his head. He couldn't believe that asked if she could call him Papi. Although he was sure that X would flip out, he told Ave that was up to her and her mom. He was surprised when X tackled him in the hotel lobby excited that he was willing to act as a father to her child.

That was 10 minutes ago and now Christina watched in annoyance as John and Ave touched _everything_ in the hotel room. The way they were acting one would think they had never stayed in a hotel before. They ran through the suite like little kids, pushing buttons and making oohs and aahs about everything. "Would you two sit down?" It was like having _two_ children. Ave, who was usually mature, seemed to regress in John's presence and all John needed was an audience and he was 10 years old again.

"Come on Ma, we're havin' fun." He pouted as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "We can fun too, later on." He kissed her neck and kept nibbling until she smiled. "You jealous? You want your Johnny all to yourself?"

"I want my Johnny to act his age, not his shoe size."

Ave rounded the corner and made a disgusted face. "Papi? You're gonna have sex again aren't you?"

"Ave?" X shot her a look.

"What? You two do it all the time. You would think you'd get tired of it." She threw up her hands and flopped on the couch. "Can I go see Tía Britain?"

"Actually, you, me and Tía have an appointment to get our hair and our nails done." She looked at John who was frowning. "What? Don't you wanna walk in that ceremony with the two hottest chicks in the world on your arm?"

John looked at a giggling Ave and raised his brow. "I already got the two hottest chicks in the world in room with me now. What are those nail people gonna do to make you hotter."

"Wait and see."X leaned up close to him and patted his butt as she whispered in his ear. "You're gonna love the scratches on your back tonight."

"Ok Ave...make sure you got everything. Don't wanna be late for that appointment." He scooted them out of the door but kissed X softly before she left. "I like red nails." He whispered closing the door behind them.

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Madison felt extremely out of place. She had traveled with her father before for shows and awards, but never had she been the guest of another wrestler; never before had she been Randy Orton's girlfriend. As they walked through the hotel holding Randy's hand, she tried to ignore the confused looks on faces that she knew. "This is so weird." She whispered as they waited for the elevator.

"What?"

"_This._ Everybody's looking at me like I have two heads. I bet they're wondering why I'm with you and not my dad." She faked a smile to Chris Benoit as he walked past with his eyebrow raised.

Randy shrugged. He hadn't even noticed anyone else was in the hotel with them. "Get use to it. You're with the Legend Killer now." He smiled and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "They're probably just jealous seeing as how devastatingly handsome I am and all."

Maddy felt Randy's lips on hers and she smiled. "Or maybe they're just jealous because you think I'm pretty."

"Beautiful. You _are_ beautiful." He watched as she stepped into the elevator and shook his head. "And when we get to that room, I'm gonna show you just how beautiful are you." He could listen to her giggle for the rest of his life. _This girl is going to be the death of me._

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Relief is not a strong enough word to describe the feeling that swept over the new parents. When Dr. Jamison spoke to them and told them that Cami's surgery was successful. They were able to create a small bone in both of her ears. Even the news that she would require another surgery for the Bone Anchored Hearing Aid when she turned one and that she would always be partially deaf didn't seem to faze them. Cami was coming home in two days, baring any complications. That was all they wanted; even if she was hearing impaired, she was coming home.

She was fussy when she woke up after the 3 hour surgery; there wasn't much that seemed to settle her. Even kangarooing with Jeff didn't work.

"Why don't you try nursing her?" Dr. Jamison said with a smile. "It's gonna be hard because she hasn't learned how to suckle, but you could try."

"But what about the feedin' tube?" Jeff didn't understand why she still needed it if she could be nursed.

Dr. Jamison turned around to face Jeff. "She probably won't take much from the breast because it's strange to her. So she'll still need it just to guarantee that she's getting the proper nutrition. Before she goes home, we'll show you how to clean in and how to feed her. But I think she can start trying to nurse now. We'll also give you some information on caring for deaf babies and the names of some occupational therapists that deal with hearing impaired children in North Carolina. You're going to have a long road with her, but she can have a completely functional life." Her words were reassuring and she could see the relief on their faces when she told them.

Jeff started to make a mental check list of the things he needed to do when they got home. They would have to enroll in sign language classes and find a school for deaf children near his house. He would have to do research on how to communicate with a deaf infant…suddenly when he looked at Chase it didn't matter.

Chase was sitting in the rocking chair holding Cami who was nursing. He could see the tears slowly run down her face as she looked at the baby. They were finally bonding, in a way that he never could bond with her. Chase and Cami were sharing something special and though Cami didn't nurse long, she did it…she tried.

Chase rocked her baby and hummed that same song that Jeff did. She was happy; it was hard to believe that once upon a time, she didn't want her. Cami wasn't even two months old yet and Chase couldn't remember her life before her. Everything she was and wanted to be she saw in Cami's eyes. Everything she ever needed to feel, she felt when she looked at her daughter. Cami was she and Jeff at their finest. She was the best thing that either of them had ever done, and the first great thing they ever did together. She looked up at Jeff and smiled. "She's doing it."

Jeff nodded his head. He didn't need drugs to get high anymore; he could get high off his family. He had so much to be thankful for and so much to love. He pulled up a chair next to them and gently rubbed Cami's toes, admiring how much they looked like Chase's. "I love you." He said to_ both_ of his girls.

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Britain and Dave stepped into the reception for the Hall of Fame Ceremony looking like they just walked off the cover of Vogue. She wore a classic black dress with cropped sleeves that was synched at her waist and looked fabulous against her creamy skin. Her black Prada stilettos only showed off how toned her legs were, and her long black hair was pulled up in a bun. She wore the faintest trace of makeup, enough to make her cheeks seem rosier and her beautiful lips shined with the hint of clear lip gloss that she wore. Dave was stunning in his black Dolce & Gabana suit, his white Fendi tie accented his crisp white shirt and the diamond tie clip that he wore matched the bling in his Rolex. They moved with a grace that made everyone turn to look at them. They were a beautiful couple, anyone that saw them could tell that. Even with all the shit they were going through, just looking at them everyone could tell that they belonged together.

Dave made sure that the entire night he touched Britain in some way. Even if it was walking beside her with his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the crowd, or locking his pinky with hers as they stood next to each other talking to his co-workers and friends, he didn't want to let her go.

Britain spotted Rebecca from the corner of her eye and noticed how she looked at them. Britain smirked at her and raised her champagne glass. If nothing else, Rebecca showed her what she stood to lose. Dave noticed where Britain was staring and smiled when Rebecca turned around to leave. Finally, the woman understood that he wasn't going anywhere. It took all of this for her to understand that he loved his wife and that his future was with her.

A big smile crossed Dave's face when he saw how beautiful his little girl looked; even if she was on _Randy's_ arm. Maddy wore a dark blue dress and matching heals. Her hair was out and she had the most beautiful glowing skin. The most captivating thing about her was the way her eyes lit up when she looked over at a very strapping Randy Orton, decked out in a navy blue Armani get up. They looked good together, even if Dave didn't think he liked it. His girls were grown up and no longer did they need him to run their lives. Chase was happy with Jeff and was now a mother. Maddy seemed happy with Randy. The only one he had to work on was Alli…but that would be a story for another time.

Britain smiled when Randy shook Dave's hand. She was relieved that they have a replay of Batista vs. Hardy. No one could stomach that again. "You look amazing." She smiled at her step-daughter twirling her around to look at her dress. "You look happy."

"So? How things going?" Maddy asked quietly looking at the men as they talked.

Britain shrugged. "We're working on it." Maddy's smile was enough to lighten her heart. Just getting a hug from this girl that she adored made all the bad things go away. "I love you, Maddy."

"I love you too."

Britain let out a laugh when she looked up. John Cena was a family man. If anyone would have told her that two years ago, she would have called them a damn liar. But there he was with Christina on arm and Ave on the other. Both of his girls wore matching black dresses and both had their hair cleverly pulled up in twists on the tops of their heads. Two blonde women, one with brown eyes, one with blue, both looking at John with affection. If he would have stuck his chest out any further, he would have fallen over backward. He knew people were staring. He knew they didn't know who this little girl was or why X, who was usually yelling at him, looked so happy. All that was important was that _he _knew; he had a beautiful girlfriend and a new daughter…it didn't get much better than that.

"Téo Dave, you like my dress?" Ave smiled at Dave and spun around for him.

He knelt down to her 4'5" frame and nodded. "You look beautiful. Got your hair done, I see."

Ave nodded and smiled. She was getting to stay up late with grown ups; although the party was dull to her, she was smoozing and she was only 12. "Have you seen Téo Carly? I wanna show him my dress."

Dave took Ave by the hand and led her through the crowd in search of Carlito. He was only gone a few minutes, but when he returned to his spot, Britain wasn't there. She had excused herself from the ladies and made her way over to Jess and Jericho.

"Thank you." She said quietly embracing Chris in a big hug. "Thank you for everything."

Jericho smiled. "Anytime Buttercup. I'm always here if you need me."

"Me too." Jess said as she smiled at her friend.

Dave was quiet in his approach, but when he locked eyes on Jericho he extended his hand. Jericho accepted and embraced Dave in a man hug. He then turned to Jess and kissed her softly on her head. "You have no idea how much you guys did for us." He wrapped his arms around his wife and held her close. Even with a room full of people, it didn't matter. He didn't care who knew how in love with her he was. _She _knew…that's all that mattered.

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Britain stepped out the ladies room and felt her arm being yanked roughly. Her back connected on the wall with a loud thud. She knew it was only a matter of time, but there he was. He was looking at her with those brown eyes, inches from her face, but this time she wasn't afraid. There were no more secrets; he couldn't scare her anymore.

"What do you want Marcus?" The one downfall about going to a gala like this was that all of the people that were once affiliated with the company had been invited. She knew he would show, just to piss her off.

Marcus looked at Britain and cringed. He was drunk; the smell of alcohol came through his pours. "I want my life back."

She looked at him confused. What did she have to do with his life? She hadn't talked to him in ten years, yet he was still blaming her for something. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you took everything from me. I was at the top of my game and then you fucked up. I was out with a broken neck and then I lost my job. Everything fell apart because of you."

Britain couldn't stop the laugh that came from her. "Unbelievable. You blame me for all that? You sent me to a fucking butcher and somehow I ruined _your_ life. I can't have kids now, Marcus. Did you know that?"

"All that shit is your fault. If you weren't fucking around, none of that would have happened."

"If you would have let me leave, I wouldn't have screwed around. It's not my fault you lost your gig at WCW. You couldn't pass a piss test. You loved those fucking steroids more than you did me." She stood up to him and looked him straight in the eye. "And maybe if you had learned to keep your hands off of me, your neck wouldn't have gotten broken."

"I only hit you one time and that's because you got knocked up by somebody else."

"Bullshit. That wasn't the first time and you and I both know that wasn't going to be the last."

Marcus grabbed her by her arms and slammed her back into the wall again. "If you say that shit again, I swear I will knock your fucking teeth out."

The tears that clouded her eyes were from the pain in her back, not from the man that caused them. "You haven't changed at all have you? Do whatever you want, Marcus. I'm not afraid of you anymore."

"I told you before, if you touched her again, I would kill you." Dave's voice was deathly calm and caused both Britain and Marcus to look at him. Judging by the look on his face he didn't need Jericho, John or Randy beside him, although they were there. Dave had fluid grace as he yanked Marcus away from Britain and held him up against the wall by his neck. His jaws clinched tightly and he could feel the adrenaline run through his body. If it wasn't for Britain's hand on his bicep, he didn't know what he would have done to Marcus.

"Let him go, Dave. I'm fine." She looked him and pleaded with his eyes. "He can't hurt me anymore." She nodded and pulled his hand away from Marcus' throat. "It's over."

Dave looked at his wife's expression and knew that she meant what she said. All he cared about was that she was alright. He let go of Marcus and wrapped Britain in his arms and held her for dear life. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" He pulled away to examine her and was relieved that she was fine.

"I'm ok now. Just seeing you made everything better." She whispered to him and smiled before melting into the feel of his warmth. She didn't notice when the others cleared the hallway, or what happened to Marcus. All she knew was she was safe in Dave's arms; those same arms that always kept her safe, those were the arms of the man that she loved.

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Dave and Britain laid facing each other not saying anything. His hand rested on her wrist as she gently rubbed the side of his face. They couldn't think of the words to say, but some things don't need words to be expressed. There was still a part of her that was afraid to trust him, but there was larger part of her that _needed _to love him. She was hesitant, but she dared to lean forward and kiss him.

His lips melted against hers and he found himself wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. For him that was the kiss to end all kisses. None before were ever as passionate and none after would ever be so sweet. It wasn't a needy kiss or even a kiss where their tongues met, but it was just lips; two lips fitting with two more creating the perfect puzzle…filling the void of where the other gapped.

She felt him pull her into a seated position and remained silent has he slowly pulled her night shirt up over her head. She looked at his eyes as he asked the silent question, still unsure if it was too early in their makeup to reconsummate their marriage. She answered him silently with her eyes and her kiss as he laid her back on the bed.

Lips have a way of speaking without words. Lips on hers told her of how much he loved her. His lips on her neck treated her skin to attention that she hadn't gotten in a long time. His tongue was a soft muscle that he used to illicit feelings in her that she was afraid she would never feel with him again. His tongue traced a soft path from her neck down the valley of breasts. His gently explored her body and her skin had missed the way it felt. His fingertips were feather light as he touched her like it was the first time he ever noticed how beautiful it was.

Dave took to the time to let his cheek rub softly against the soft skin of her chest, marveling in the way it felt on him. With the most humble of motions he kissed every part of her chest, leaving wet kisses trailing over her breasts. He opened his mouth over the feel of her nipple and heard himself moan when her hands cradled his head as he gently fed on her. He was slow and precise, making sure to kiss and touch her breasts exactly how she enjoyed it. He found himself resting comfortable in between her thighs as he did. The warmth from her legs touching his sternum was enough to break him.

She had missed feeling his weight on her; she missed the smell of his hair. She missed how his large hands kneaded her and how warm his skin was on hers. Dave Batista's body was in direct opposite of the man. He was a large man made of hard muscles, but he was so gentle and soft. Just the delicate trace of his lips circling her belly button made her want to scream. How could any man as big and domineering as he be so gentle? His large hands were like velvet as he gently lifted her hips and slid down her panties in the same motion. She watched as he smoothed his cheek over her thigh and closed his eyes at the sensation.

Dave was sure that he had the most beautiful wife in all of creation. Everything about her was beautiful, right down to the small mole she had on her thigh. With gentle kisses, he kissed her waist then he tasted his prize. The feeling was overwhelming and the response unparalleled. He closed his eyes so that he would capture what his vision of perfection was. She was soft and sweet and reminded him of honey. She was nature, she was beauty; she was a choir of angels singing. "I missed the way you taste." His whisper created a soft whimper from her as his warm breath danced across her flesh.

The small circular motions he used filled more than her sexuality, it filled her heart. It was right…making love to her husband was right. It was the privilege that they were awarded when they pledged their love to each other. For the rest of their lives they would be privileged to only share this with one another. She missed the way the fine line of his beard tickled her thighs when he kissed them. She missed hearing him moan as he pleased her. She missed the completely sated look on his face when his mouth was on her body. There had been many times before when he would do this to her and ask for nothing in return. He would use his mouth to bring forth feelings in her and when she erupted, he would place his head on her chest and be as spent as she was. She knew that if things didn't go any further, then that would be fine with him. Britain knew Dave. She knew that he needed to do this to her as much as she needed to have it done. It was as if they feed off of each other's pleasure.

He could hear her jagged breath and it only heightened his arousal. He wanted to bring her to the brink and stop only so that he could do it again. Having his wife so close to euphoria was euphoric for _him_. And even if he wanted to be inside of her, just feeling her hands run through his hair was enough. She would never be at the same angle or gently message his scalp the same way as she did when he feasted on her. She was beauty to his eyes, a symphony to his ears, satin to his hands, mesmerizing to his nose and sweet to his mouth. Britain Weis-Batista was everything to him.

"Davey…" She whispered digging her hands deeper into his hair. She was on the brink of exploding and she could feel his muscles tighten around her thighs keeping her from escaping the inevitable. She could no longer control it…soft vocal panting came from her throat and suddenly a blinding light flashed through her body. She rocked gently trying to contain what he had created for her. Nothing short of poetic it was. She looked down at him as he continued even after she had reached her peak. She couldn't stand being that far away from him. She needed his lips on hers. "Make love to me."

Her breathy command did not go unheard. Reluctantly he disengaged from the comforts of her thighs providing warmth on his face. Silently he knelt on the bed and removed his pajama pants. He was hard and viral and dying to become putty in her hands. Dave laid on his side facing her and placed her right leg up over his hip while his legs slightly scissored with her left leg in between his. He needed to make sure that he could hold her and never let his eyes leave hers while he was inside of her. His entrance was slow and methodical but it created a soft grown in both of them. His one hand rested on her hip that was raised and the other connected to the arm under her head, caressed her back. He pulled her closer to him so that her breasts stayed in constant contact with the hard muscle of his chest. She was the perfect contrast to him. She was full of soft curves while he was hard angles. They were two pieces of the same being; there was no beginning to one and no ending to the other; just like their wedding bands. They were joined at more than their bodies; they were joined in their hearts and their souls.

The position in which he took her was not optimal for deep thrusting, but it was the perfect position for gazing into her eyes and gentle caresses of her soft skin. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but each movement she made robbed him of the words to explain. Her body was fortress in which he wanted to protect always. It didn't matter to him if they never had children, as long as he could still share in the intimacy of making love to her. _They_ were a family; a family of two. Children would be a great addition, but he knew he could live a happy, fulfilled life with just her by his side.

She kissed him slowly feeling every gentle roll of his hips in her. His eyes were a rich honey brown. Those eyes she lost herself in every time she looked at them. They were so much more than eyes…they were the window to his soul. Those eyes told her how much he loved her as they welled with tears. He didn't need to say anything because his eyes said it all.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." His admission was quiet as he tried to stop the tears from rolling. But the thought of losing her proved to be too much as they made love. Just thinking that he would never be privileged enough to feel her this way again, made him grieve for the time they lost; it made him hurt for the pain he caused. "I love you so much, baby."

Each apology he uttered was met by the same response. "I love you." She could not tell him that enough. All was forgiven; there was no more need to apologize. Rebecca no longer existed; the pain from what Marcus did was but a distant memory. All that mattered now was that they knew that the other was still as in love as they day they married. They could survive anything as long as they reaffirmed that love.

Time seemed to stand still and his motions never increased in speed or depth. It was the perfect tempo combined with sight, touch and sound that forced both to find their end. Britain held onto him as the orgasm swept through her body. He held onto her just as tightly to help her through her release. He could feel his own building inside of him, but he wanted her to completely enjoy hers first. He bit his lip hard to stop himself from ending, not wanting to ruin her pleasure as it ran through her body. And when she lay limp in his arms, gently sucking on his neck, he let himself go; his essence finding a home deep inside of her.

They laid there still a tangle mess of limbs, completely weak from the feeling that they had created and given to one another. Neither bothered to move, neither needed to. They continued to look at each other and kiss softly, reassuring the other that only good things were bound to come to them as long they believed. Britain and Dave found their way back, but more importantly they remembered why they loved each other so much to begin with.


	31. Epilogue Repost

**Repost: If you read Someone save me, you know that I'm neurotic. Apparently there was a problem during the upload of this chapter and none of the changes saved. A few paragraphs were even duplicated. I've corrected it because I couldn't rest knowing it was that bad. Thanks for reading it anyway!**

**Shanny**

Epilogue

It was early in the morning, she could tell. The birds were singing…_I wish they'd shut the fuck up_; the sun was shining through the window…T_he sun? What time is it?_ Britain rolled over to look at the clock. It was already 9:30. She attempted to lift herself into a seated position but found that difficult because her body was so sore. Dave wore her out. She couldn't help but to smile thinking about the night before. He hadn't given it to her like that in a very, very long time. Just thinking about it made her shutter and bite her bottom lip as she released a small grown.

She found her robe and put it on before she made her way down the hall. The house was quiet, where was everyone? She peeked her head in one of the rooms and saw Dave standing with his back to the door looking out of the window. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

He turned his head toward her voice and smiled. "I thought you could use some rest. You seemed pretty worn out."

She walked up behind him and rested her head on the tattoo of the dragon on his back. "What are you doing?"

Dave turned around and smiled. "Well, Mikey and I were discussing the fact that Peyton Manning is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL today." He adjusted the bundle in his arm and sat the bottle down on the table.

"Your Daddy's crazy isn't he? Everyone knows that Tom Brady is the best quarterback." Britain reached out and touched the hair of the little boy that Dave was holding. She looked with affection as he balled his little fist up close to his face as he slept.

"Do you have more milk in the freezer? We're all out up here."

She put her hand on her hip and rested her weight on one leg. "Already? Dave there were5 bottles in that fridge." She couldn't believe it. Before she went to sleep the night before there was enough milk to last until at least noon, now mysteriously there was none.

"Don't look at me…that was DJ."

She walked over to the crib and looked at the other sleeping baby. "Don't blame this on my son."

"It's breast milk. I don't want it."

"You weren't saying that last night." She smirked playfully, appreciating his smile.

Dave turned around to place the sleeping baby in his crib. "Well, that was different. I rather get it from the source than the bottle." He turned around to look at Britain standing at the other crib. "He'll be getting up soon. I fed him around 6."

"Going for the Father of the Year Award are we?" She reached into the crib and extracted the large baby. "You didn't drink all the milk did you? No…I bet Daddy did something to it."

"He's greedy. That child eats like he's got a tape worm."

Britain shook her head as she talked to the baby that starting to stir. "You take after Daddy don't you? He eats up everything in the big fridge too." She made her way to the rocker and loosened the tie on her rob. She watched as her son carefully moved his head around until he found her breast. He created a soft suction that she had grown use to. Britain let her eyes close while her son nursed.

Getting pregnant was easier than they thought it would be; staying pregnant proved to be the challenge. One of the side effects from the hormone shots was the possibility of a multiple birth. Dave and Britain were beyond ecstatic when they found out they were having twins. But the stress of carrying two babies in her already weakened uterus proved to be too much. At 25 weeks she had a procedure done to sew and pack her cervix to make sure she wouldn't deliver early. She had been on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Britain had always dreamed that pregnancy would be amazing; it fucking sucked. She didn't have morning sickness or anything like that, but both of those babies seemed to love her bladder. All she did was go to the bathroom a thousand times a day…that and eat everything that wasn't nailed down. Peeing and eating coupled with bed rest made being pregnant the worst time in her life. She couldn't have sex, she could only be on her feet for 2 hours a day, Dave was working more so he could get time off…it was the pits. But at 35 weeks, her body gave out. Her babies were born via emergency C-section.

Dave knew exactly what Jeff and Chase went through when he found out that his babies were being born early. Luckily, both were strong and healthy and neither had to stay in the hospital. But Britain was another story. Immediately after the birth of the twins, she had a hysterectomy. She would never be able to have any more of his children. Her body couldn't take it; those babies wore her down.

_Dave stood over Britain's hospital bed holding a little bundle in his arms. "This big guy is the oldest." He smiled as he sat down with the baby and placed him on Britain's chest._

"_He looks just like you." She couldn't stop smiling. He was a little thing, 6 ¾ pounds of beauty. He had wavy black hair, Dave's tan skin and Dave's eyes. She instantly fell in love with him. He was a miniature version of her husband "I want to name him David. David Johan…after the two most important men in my life." _

"_I like that. You like that DJ?" Dave smiled at the baby who was desperately trying to figure out how to get his entire fist in his mouth. He was a lot bigger than his twin; Dave guessed that he was the one that made Britain eat like food was going out of style. _

"_Where's the other baby?" _

_Dave stood and removed another bundle from the other basinet in the room. "He's a little guy. But I think he's beautiful. You look like your Mommy." He placed the second baby on her chest and made faces when the baby made faces at him. _

_Britain looked at her youngest son, who was only 5 minutes younger than her first. He did look like her. He had Dave's complexion and black wavy hair like his brother, but he had her angular face and her grey eyes. He was smaller than DJ, only 5 1/2 pounds and unlike his older brother who was 19 inches long, this baby was only 17. "Well seeing as how your middle name is Michael…I guess he looks a Michael too." They had chosen names for girls, they picked out a name for a boy and a girl, they had even played around with names for boys…but neither of those children looked like the names they came up with. "Now he needs a middle name." For the life of her, she couldn't think of one._

_Dave touched his son's hand and smiled. "What about Christopher…for the child that you lost?"_

_Britain could feel the tears well in her eyes. "Michael Christopher. I like that." _

"I feel like the Dairy Queen." She laughed as the greedy baby continued to eat. Since their birth 10 weeks ago, that's all she did. Partial hysterectomy or not, those boys wanted milk… all the time. "I swear this is all I do. I have never pulled my boobs out so much in my life."

Dave laughed. "But they look great." He would be lying if he said that he didn't appreciate Britain's post baby physique. Her breasts were fuller, her hips seemed rounder, she was even sexier to him; if that were possible. In fact the night before he showed her just how much he appreciated her new body, over and over and over again.

"Tu Papi repugnante. Todo lo que él piensa es alrededor sexo." _Your Daddy's nasty. All he thinks about is sex. _Britain spoke in a high pitched voice to DJ whose heavy lids were slowly closing now that his belly was full.

"English…speak English to my boys. That's all I need is not to be able to understand what the hell they're talking about either."

She looked at DJ as she hoisted him up on her shoulder. "Well how else are we going to talk about Daddy so he doesn't know what we're saying about him? We have to have some secrets, right?" She nodded and smiled as she patted his little back. "Have you talked to Chase?"

Dave stretched, he was tired. He had been up with the boys for three hours just so Britain could sleep. "Yeah. They decided to drive down because of the altitude and Cami's ears. Jeff didn't think she could handle a flight yet. They should be here around noon." He walked over to his wife and kissed her lips softly. "I'm gonna lay down for an hour. Can you handle them?"

She nodded. She had only been able to move around and help for a few weeks now. But she was feeling great and looking forward to what was to come.

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Jeff looked like the walking dead when they arrived at Dave's house. He was tired from the drive and all he wanted was to take a nap. Somehow, he had gotten strapped with the bags _and _Cami in his arms. "Hey." He greeted Britain with a kiss on her cheek. "You look great."

"Thanks…you look like shit."

"I'm tired. What time do we have to be at the church?" He handed Cami over to Britain and watched the way his daughter pulled on her hair.

"Not until four. My family's coming in around 2 and I think Maddy's here, but she's at Randy's. We don't have to leave until 3:30." Britain smiled at Cami and waved her hand at the plump little girl in her arms.

Cami had come through a lot. She was healthy, she was happy and she was beautiful. Just looking at her, you wouldn't know that she went through so much when she was born. You wouldn't think that Jeff had anything to do with her because she looked so much like Chase; all except the eyes. At 18 months old, Cami was learning to walk, albeit a little late, but she _was_ a preemie. She had blonde hair that was pulled up in two little pig tails on the side of her head, that cleverly hid the hearing aid attached to her head and she had this little face that made you want to eat it. She had pudgy hands and dimples…she was the cutest little girl in all of North Carolina and Florida combined.

"There's my Pebbles." Dave said as he came the stairs. He kissed Chase on the side of her head and shook Jeff's hand before taking Cami out of Britain's arms. "How was the drive Princess?"

"Long." Chase said with a smile. "Poor Jeff did the whole thing without stopping." She turned to Jeff and rubbed his back. "Why don't you lie down? I got Cami."

"You sure?"

Chase nodded. As soon as he turned to leave, Cami started to cry and reach out for him. Chase signed as she spoke to her daughter. "Daddy's going to take a nap." Cami didn't seem to care. She was a daddy's girl and she wanted her daddy.

"You wanna go with me?" Jeff signed and asked at the same time. He reached for the little girl and kissed her cheek before walking up the stairs to take a nap.

Dave turned to Chase and hugged her. "How's she doing?'

"Good." Chase answered happily. "She's still seeing the occupational therapist and we got her enrolled in signing classes. She's trying to learn how to talk. She says 'Da' which we think is Daddy, but that's about it. The doctor says her hearing is about 40 percent, so she can hear some stuff, but it'll be hard to get her to talk. More than likely she'll sign."

It was good news, considering. As they made their way in the kitchen the monitor went off. Dave sighed and headed back up the steps to see which boy wanted something now.

"How are the boys?"

"Fat." Britain laughed. "God, all they do is eat and sleep. They're like having two more Dave's." She watched as Dave brought both of her son's down to the kitchen. It was rare that they were up at the same time. Those boys were nothing alike. DJ was the lazy one, all he did was sleep. Mikey was the nosy one, his little grey eyes were always open searching for something. Usually, when one was asleep the other was not. When one was hungry the other wanted entertainment. No matter what they tried, they could not get those boys on the same schedule.

"I can't believe I have _two_ little brothers. They're younger than their niece." Chase laughed at the irony as she took Mikey from Dave's arms. "But you're so cute." She made the little baby voice when she spoke to her brother.

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"We're gonna be late." Maddy said trying to reject Randy's advances. That's not true, she wasn't trying to reject him, but she was _pretending_ to try to reject his advances. "We have to be at the church by 3:30."

"We got time." Randy wiggled his brow and started to suck on her neck. He hadn't seen her in almost a month. Having her away at college while he traveled was hard. She couldn't join him on the road most times because of class or exams or she was rehearsing for a play. Plus she decided to pledge a sorority, so she never seemed to have time for him. "Come on. Do you know how hot I am?"

She laughed as his mouth took large gulps of her neck. "Smokin' hot." She missed him. She hated that she couldn't see him regularly. But this week was Easter break and that meant 10 days of nothing but Randy. 10 days of nothing but naked bliss, being with Randy, seeing his smile, drooling over his muscles, hearing the way he said her name. It would be 10 days in heaven. She couldn't wait. She allowed him to remove her clothes but not before he promised they wouldn't be late for the church.

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John sat on the pew of the church looking around. He really didn't care what X was talking about. _What the fuck is Baby's Breath?_ "Ma…I don't care what kind of flowers you want. Buy 'em all. Just tell me when I have to show up and how fly you want me to look."

"Pendejo. I'm only getting married one time and it's going to perfect. So if I want to discuss flowers with you, you're going to pretend to be interested." Christina rolled her eyes and returned to her conversation with Ave. "So what kind of flowers do you think I should have?"

Ave shrugged. "I'm with Papi. I don't care. Besides, you guys aren't getting married for like another 6 months. We have plenty of time."

"Six months is nothing. Do you know how much stuff I have to do in that time? I still need a gown, _you _need a gown. We need to find a reception site; we haven't picked a caterer, mainly because _somebody_ likes everything he eats." She rolled her eyes at John when he poked his tongue out at her.

John walked over to her and held out her hand. "I may like every food there is, and have no idea what any other flowers but roses are; but you gotta admit, I got great taste in jewelry…that's fat rock on your finger." He smiled; he knew how much she adored that ring. And if he could, he would give her trinkets like that everyday to show her how much he loved her. So what she Bridezilla, once they were married that would all be over.

She looked at her finger with affection and whispered in his ear. "You're still getting payments in the bedroom for this ring."

"I know. I wonder what your gonna do when you see your wedding band." He leaned over and kissed her softly ignoring the vomiting sounds that Ave made. As he pulled away from X's lips, he poked his tongue out at his little girl. "Wait one day you gonna find a mack and you gonna be actin' all pressed like your moms."

"I'm not pressed." X said folding her arms across her chest.

John made a whip sound and laughed. "You whipped Ma. You know it."

"You're whipped."

"You damn right."

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Randy, Maddy, Ave, Hunter, Stephanie, their son Jack and daughter Aurora, Jeff, Chase, Cami, Alli and even Emily all sat in the same pew. Across from them sat Johan, Mia, Britain's brother Croix, and her grandparents. They all looked toward the alter with a smile on their face.

Britain held Mikey and Dave held DJ, they watched as Jericho and Jess, John and Christina took their vows as Godparents to their sons. This was the day that Britain had wanted for so long. She had her family and friends surrounding her, just like they did at their wedding. Everyone was joined to see her children get baptized and she listened to the priest speak with tears in her eyes.

"David and Michael Batista, I now baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." As the priest ran the water over their heads both babies started to cry. Britain and Dave laughed, both feeling the same joy and elation that their sons were now protected and completely loved. They listened as those in attendance clapped and accepted their hugs and well wishes to their children. This day was perfect.

The reception ended in a big cookout at the Batista house. As usually Chef-Boy-R-Dave was on the grill. This time there was no longer a boys table and girls table, but one big table that everyone sat around. Maddy sat next to Randy. X sat on John's lap. Chase sat with Jeff's arms around her. Stephanie sat close to Hunter. And Ave played with the children. It was picture perfect scene and Britain admired it as she wrapped her arms around Dave. They noticed how the conversations were not about underwear and sports like they had always been before, but now everyone talked about marriage and babies. Things certainly had changed since the last time they were all together. "I love you."

"You better." He smiled before kissing her. He watched his family with affection and couldn't have been happier at that very moment.

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Chase looked at her wedding band and smiled. It hardly seemed like they had been married for a year already. Their beach wedding was beautiful just like she imagined and the honeymoon in Venice was even better then when they vacationed there. She was happy, but still something was missing.

"Jeff?"

"Hmm?" He was trying to sleep. He was exhausted. That little nap he had earlier with Cami didn't help, mainly because she found playing with his necklace and hair more exciting than sleeping.

"Let's have another baby." She had been thinking about it for awhile. She wanted more children.

Jeff smiled. "Really?"

"I don't want Cami to be an only child. She needs a brother or sister." Chase straddled Jeff's waist and looked at him with big blue eyes.

"You just miss your papa bear, don't you?" He placed his hands on her hips. "You're serious? You want another baby?" He smiled when she nodded. "Well hell, we can start right now." He sat up and attacked her. He couldn't get her undressed fast enough. Who cares if they were in Dave's house. Dave didn't know about the last time they were there, if they were quiet, he wouldn't know about this one. "I love you, Chase."

"I love you too."

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It had been a busy day for all. Dave and Britain were graced with quiet when her parents took the boys back to their hotel to keep them for the night. Cami was at Emily's and Jeff and Chase were already asleep, Maddy was at Randy's…they virtually had the house to themselves.

"I'm just gonna say goodnight." Dave said as he kissed Britain softly and watched the seductive way she walked into the bedroom. This day had been one that would forever be in his memory. Life didn't get much sweeter and God knows when all that drama was going on, he didn't think they'd ever come this far. "You better be ready when I come back in this room. No babies…no interruptions. I plan on keeping you up all night long."

Britain giggled that giggle that drove him wild. "That's my big boy."

Dave made haste as he walked down to Chase room. He knocked softly and slowly opened the door. "Princess? " They were at it again. "Oh God! Oh hell no!"

"Daddy!" Chase yelled as she tried to cover herself. Why was it that when it just getting good, he walked in her room?

"Shit." Jeff sighed with his head in the bend of Chase's neck. There's not much else one can say, when you get caught ass up by your father-in-law.

Britain ran into Chase's room and laughed. "Sorry." She led Dave back to their room and watched as he paced the floor. "Davey, they're married…they have a kid. How do you think they made her?"

"I don't know. I don't want to ever know that." He sat on the bed with hands covering his eyes. "Oh God. I can't take this. My children are having sex." He looked like he wanted to cry and was annoyed by Britain laughing at him.

He would never change, and she was glad of that. With her bottom lip poked out, she walked over to him and sat on his lap. She couldn't stop laughing at the way he hugged her and whined about seeing Jeff bang his daughter, _again. _He was acting like a big baby, but it didn't matter. He was _her _big baby and she loved him for it.

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For something to be perfect means that there are no mistakes; but everything has the potential to break if not carefully handled. Perfect things like perfect people don't really exist. We can get close to perfection, but if you don't take the time to maintain and cultivate, then that which was once perfect has the potential to become flawed.

Relationships are not one sided and people make mistakes. No matter how perfect things may seem, they must be paid attention to, they must be worked on, and they must be maintained to remain perfect. None of these people were perfect; none of their relationships were either. But they all had one thing in common; through their flaws they learned to forgive, they saw something better in themselves because of those they loved. They learned that they needed to put their all into the relationships they had and their efforts all went to, maintaining perfection.

Fin.

_Author's Note: This has been a blast to write. I never dreamed that the sequel would be so much more popular than the original. Thank you for putting up with this crazy ride. I don't know if this is the end of the series, but I'm always open to the possibilities. I am working on Flawless which is the prequel to Perfect…the story of how Britain and Dave got together and Age is Just a Number, which is the Maddy/Randy story by request…I think I know what I want to do with it. It may have some X and John in it too. I'm sure these characters will resurface in their story because they are so closely intertwined. There may be more for these couples in the future…I don't know. But know that I love them all and I love having them as my muses._

_Now to my reviewers, I am in awe. If I leave anyone out it's not intentional, it's just hard to remember everyone. If I forgot someone, I'm sorry…I love you, I appreciate you and I am grateful to you all:_

_Lil' Miss Cena, Tanya, Kara, Loosingmymind2, Buffvamp, Enigmatic Lotus Leaf, Mrs. Jeff Hardy, NYChick4, Nefertina-Shanf, AandAmom, Princess Mel, Takers-Angel123, Gurl42069, Raw Ambition, Nikki, We Miss You Trish, Matty1, Katy, SRC, Wrestlemania21, Dramaqueen 54, Super G and ElizabethxAnne…I write for you. Thank you so much for your support and I hope that you loved this story as much as I loved writing it. You make it all worth it!_

_Be Easy!_

_Xoxoxoxo_

_Shannon_


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